On November 5, 2025, XPENG introduced the world to a striking new advance in robotics: a humanoid robot named IRON. Alongside this unveiling, XPENG set a new world record with an AI-coordinated light show featuring 16,000 drones, a display that illuminated both the sky and China’s growing leadership in artificial intelligence and robotics.
The XPENG IRON Humanoid Robot
IRON stands just under 170 centimeters tall and weighs about 70 kilograms. Its form is carefully modeled after the human body, with a lifelike spine, a bionic muscle system, and flexible skin. This gives IRON the ability to move fluidly, balanced and smooth—walking, standing, and sitting in ways that echo human movement.
What sets IRON apart is its extraordinary dexterity. Each hand features 22 degrees of freedom, allowing for complex and subtle movement, while across its body, IRON boasts more than 60 joints. This means it can manipulate objects with precision and interact with environments designed for people.
At the core of IRON’s intelligence are three Turing AI chips, engineered by XPENG. Together, these chips deliver 2,250 trillion operations per second. This immense computing power fuels advanced AI models that allow IRON to see, understand, and act in the world. With technologies like Vision Language Transformer and Vision Language Action, IRON recognizes its surroundings and responds intelligently to language and visual cues, bridging the gap between perception and action.
For energy, IRON uses a cutting-edge all-solid-state battery. This battery offers high energy density, making it powerful yet light, and is designed for safety—a necessity in robots expected to move among people.
Real-World Applications
In its first phase, IRON is set to serve in public-facing roles, welcoming visitors in museums, assisting customers in auto showrooms, and providing information in shopping centers. Beyond these environments, XPENG is also testing IRON for industrial inspection and operational tasks with partners such as Baosteel, a major steel producer. Here, IRON’s precise movement and intelligent perception can enhance safety and efficiency on factory floors.
XPENG aims to begin mass production of IRON by the end of 2026, starting with factory settings but with ambitions for broader deployment. This marks a major milestone: an AI-powered, human-shaped robot designed not just for demonstration, but for real work in everyday and industrial environments.
AI-Coordinated Drone Light Show
On the night of the IRON unveiling, XPENG brought the sky to life with a record-breaking 16,000-drone light show. The entire performance was directed by AI algorithms, orchestrating thousands of drones into dazzling formations. This event didn’t just entertain—it demonstrated China’s cutting-edge abilities in aerial robotics and large-scale, real-time AI coordination.
China’s Growing AI Leadership
XPENG’s showcase is part of a larger surge in AI innovation across China. The company plans to open its robot platform to developers worldwide through a software development kit (SDK). This will invite new applications for IRON, stimulating a global ecosystem around humanoid robotics. At the same time, companies like Baidu are advancing the field with open-source releases like ERNIE 4.5 VL, a multimodal model that combines vision and language, reinforcing China’s position at the forefront of AI research and deployment.
Behind these breakthroughs is a vision XPENG calls “physical AI”—the integration of robotics, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence as a unified field. This approach is shaping a future where smart machines are not just tools, but capable partners in industry and daily life.
A Landmark Moment
The debut of IRON and the AI-powered drone display quickly became the most discussed news in robotics and AI by November 12, capturing global attention and marking a significant point in the evolution of embodied AI and robotics. XPENG’s achievements stand as a testament to how quickly China is transforming ideas of automation into reality, advancing both practical factory automation and interactive public service through intelligent machines.
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