In 2013, Wuhu in East China's Anhui Province was designated as China's first national-level pilot zone for the clustered development of the robotics industry.
A staff member instructs a humanoid robot to complete tasks at a robot training base in Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province. China's robotics industry has grown rapidly in recent years. (Photo: Xiao Benxiang/GT)
Over the past decade and more, the city has steadily nurtured its robotics industry. What began as isolated technological breakthroughs has evolved into a thriving industrial cluster. The sector has progressed from accumulating technical expertise to achieving commercial mass production, and from a scattered spatial layout to a fully integrated ecosystem.
Recently, the People's Daily visited Wuhu to explore how the city has grown into a "robot city."
A man interacts with a robot dog at the performance center of Chery’s embodied-AI robotics subsidiary, AiMOGA, in Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province. Local authorities have actively expanded downstream application scenarios for smart equipment. (Photo: Xiao Benxiang/GT)
At the exhibition hall of Wuhu-based EFORT Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd., a wide range of industrial robots performed precise and agile tasks.
"This robot you see is one of our flagship products. It was put into operation last year on the production line of an automobile manufacturer in Chongqing, where it performs high-precision welding," said Zhang Wei, deputy general manager of EFORT.
In 2007, as Chinese automaker Chery continuously expanded its production capacity, demand for automated upgrades to its vehicle assembly lines soared. At the time, however, the manufacturer relied heavily on imported robotic equipment. This created several challenges: steep procurement costs, slow maintenance support and reliance on overseas suppliers for core technologies.
EFORT Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. manufactures industrial robots in a workshop in Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province. Clustered industrial production has driven the rapid rise of native technology manufacturing in the city. (Photo: Xiao Benxiang/GT)
To tackle these challenges, Chery Equipment Co., Ltd., the predecessor of EFORT, was founded. Drawing on its experience in the intelligent transformation of automotive production lines, the firm began developing and manufacturing industrial robots independently.
"The early stages were extremely challenging, but through greater investment and sustained research, we gradually made technological breakthroughs," said You Wei, general manager of EFORT.
"Through years of hard work, EFORT has grown into one of China's leading industrial robot manufacturers. Our products are now used in welding, painting, material handling and other applications," You added.
In 2025, EFORT sold more than 15,000 robots. Sales are expected to exceed 20,000 units in 2026, while its share of the domestic market has risen to sixth place. The company has also achieved full independent control over its core modules.
Bolstered by robust market traction and technical demands generated by EFORT, Wuhu has actively attracted manufacturers of key components such as reducers, servo systems and controllers.
The city is now home to more than 300 companies in the robotics sector, forming a complete industrial chain that covers complete robots, core components and system integration. The sector has grown to more than 40 billion yuan ($5.93 billion).
Wuhu Ceprei Robotics Industry Technology Institute Co., Ltd. provides R&D, design, testing and inspection services across the robotics industry chain.
"Some projects test the durability of robots, while others involve safety and electromagnetic compatibility testing," said Wei Neng, an executive of the company.
The company can conduct more than 100 types of authoritative tests, covering the service life, precision and reliability of robot components through a one-stop process. More than 60 percent of the testing can be completed independently.
"Most companies nearby choose our services, saving both costs and testing time and facilitating subsequent R&D and production. This is one of the advantages of an industrial cluster," Wei noted.
At the exhibition hall of Chery's embodied-AI robotics subsidiary, AiMOGA, visitors were greeted by a humanoid robot named Mornine. During a roughly 30-minute tour, Mornine guided visitors through the company's popular robotic products, interacting with them along the way. The entire experience was smooth and natural.
In recent years, as AI has continued to advance, Wuhu has built on its established industrial robot supply chain and accelerated its expansion into collaborative robots, embodied intelligence and other emerging fields.
Chery incubated AiMOGA and officially established it in January 2025. Fang Xingyu, the company's brand director, said Chery International began developing digital human technologies on a large scale in 2021 to introduce automobile products and interact with customers. As the technology matured, the company seized the opportunity presented by the rapid development of intelligent robotics and began developing humanoid robots.
Zhang Guibing, general manager of AiMOGA, said modern automobiles are highly intelligent and share many technologies with robots. AiMOGA has drawn extensively on Chery's established R&D and supply chain systems to ensure the intelligence and quality of its robots.
Building on these industrial strengths, AiMOGA has progressed rapidly. On December 9, 2025, the company delivered the 1,000th quadruped robot dog, Argos, at its headquarters in Wuhu.
The company has since deployed these robots in a range of scenarios, including home companionship, community patrols and factory security. At several intersections in Wuhu, the "Wuyou" intelligent police humanoid robot, jointly developed by AiMOGA and the city's traffic police authorities, has also officially gone into service.
"In the future, we hope to develop robots around commercial, industrial and household applications, accelerate technological upgrades and iterations, and make robots truly trusted intelligent assistants for people," Zhang said.