Huawei spinoff Honor has thrown its hat into the humanoid robotics ring with plans to develop the technology as part of its $10 billion AI action plan.
At a launch event Wednesday for its new Honor 400 series smartphone, the company announced plans to develop its own humanoid robots. The company also said it would be collaborating with existing robotics companies to support innovation in the field.
Honor also announced its AI system already helped Unitree Robotics set a new running speed record for a humanoid robot with its G1 humanoid, with running speeds of 13 feet per second.
That came nearly a year after Unitree’s humanoid broke the walking speed record.
While Honor has not yet announced the timeline or the specific purpose of the humanoid robots, the move comes as companies increasingly turn to automation technologies to improve operations and meet consumer demands.
The Shenzhen-based company first announced plans to expand from smartphones to AI in March at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Honor’s Alpha Plan has three steps from developing an intelligent smartphone to co-creating “a new paradigm for AI ecosystem in the physical AI era” and opening “human potential boundaries” and co-creating a “new paradigm for civilization.”
According to Honor, the plan is designed to reposition the firm from a smartphone player into an “AI device ecosystem company.”
“It is clear that the AI revolution will reshape the paradigm of the device industry – completely transforming our productivity, our society, and even our culture more than ever before,” said James Li, Honor’s CEO at Mobile World Congress.
“I am calling on all of us to unite together to address the challenges – as well as the many opportunities – of AI technology. I also call on the industry to be truly open so that we can fully embrace this exciting AI future. Let’s do it together.”
Also this month, Honor showcased its AI products at the Shenzhen International AI Exhibition, with exhibition booths including its AI phones, agents and intelligent PC terminals.
“Honor will build a smart ecosystem and embrace a three-step strategy of smartphones to embrace the smart world.” Fang Fei, president of the product line of Honor said in his keynote speech at the 2025 Global Artificial Intelligence Terminal Exhibition.
“AI agents can pull the hardware with one hand and the ecosystem with the other, bringing a richer and more seamless multi-device interconnection experience to ecosystem partners and users, and it will be the best bridge between the physical world and the digital world.”
This article first appeared in AI Business’ sister publication IoT World Today.