Mitsubishi Motors partners with Tokyo startup to produce AI humanoid robots at scale

Mitsubishi Motors just signed a deal that makes its Kyoto car plant moonlight as a robot factory. The Japanese automaker inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Highlanders, Inc., a University of Tokyo spinout, to jointly develop and mass-produce AI-powered humanoid robots, with a target of cranking out up to 1,000 units per month by early 2027. It’s the first time an automotive manufacturer has committed to producing humanoid robots using its existing manufacturing infrastructure. Why a car company is building robots Japan has a people problem. The country’s workforce has been shrinking for years thanks to an aging population and declining birth rates, and the automotive sector has been hit particularly hard. The partnership with Highlanders, which was founded in 2023 as a robotics-focused spinout from the University of Tokyo, is specifically designed to create humanoid robots tailored for Mitsubishi’s own manufacturing operations. The idea is straightforward: use AI-driven robots to fill gaps on the factory floor, maintain productivity, and preserve institutional knowledge that would otherwise walk out the door with retiring employees. Mitsubishi’s edge, at least in theory, is t...