Shanghai Electric
Shanghai Electric is one of China's largest equipment manufacturers, headquartered in Shanghai, making power generation equipment, industrial equipment and automation systems, and chaired by Wu Lei. It has moved into embodied AI and, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai in July 2026, showed a robot matrix built around industrial use. The TUOYUAN is an industrial wheeled humanoid powered by an embodied intelligence foundation model with force-position hybrid control, able to insert multi-specification connectors, sort materials and load and unload automotive sheet metal parts. The Mermaid is a bionic wheeled humanoid that autonomously identifies buttons, knobs and air switches and generates operation paths in real time. The SUYUAN is a bipedal humanoid with 41 degrees of freedom, a multimodal vision system in its head and torso, and a dual-battery hot-swap system for continuous work. It also showed a pipe inner-wall chamfering robot accurate to 1 mm and launched 51 AI models and agents under its StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing series.
💡Notable Achievement: Shanghai Electric showed its TUOYUAN, Mermaid and SUYUAN humanoids and 51 StarCloud AI models and agents at WAIC 2026.
What Does Shanghai Electric Do?
Shanghai Electric is a large Chinese equipment maker that showed a robot matrix of industrial humanoids at WAIC 2026.
“Heavy-industry maker adds humanoids.”
TUOYUAN
Wheeled humanoid for connector insertion and sheet metal loading.
SUYUAN
Bipedal, 41 degrees of freedom, hot-swap batteries.
StarCloud
51 AI models and agents.
What Can Shanghai Electric Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Factory assembly, sorting and control-panel work.
Connector Insertion
Inserts multi-spec connectors.
Panel Operation
Identifies buttons and knobs.
Shanghai Electric Robots
Showing 2 Humanoid Robots of 2 total models
Mermaid
By: Shanghai Electric
Launched: 2026
Mermaid is Shanghai Electric's bionic wheeled humanoid robot designed specifically for physical inspection and electrical panel operations in confined, narrow, and hazardous industrial spaces. Showcased at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Mermaid features a slender bio-inspired wheeled base, an agile humanoid upper body, and DexHand dexterous end effectors. Driven by computer vision models and autonomous trajectory generation, Mermaid identifies push-buttons, rotary selector knobs, and air circuit breakers, generating real-time collision-free paths to manipulate switchgear without manual programming. This design isolates human operators from arc-flash risks and restricted equipment corridors.
TUOYUAN
By: Shanghai Electric
Launched: 2026
TUOYUAN is Shanghai Electric's heavy-duty industrial wheeled humanoid robot engineered for high-precision factory automation and flexible manufacturing. Unveiled at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), TUOYUAN combines an omnidirectional mobile base with an articulated humanoid upper body and dual high-load arms. The robot features proprietary planetary roller screws—delivering more than three times the load capacity of standard ball screws—and DexHand dexterous end effectors. Powered by an embodied intelligence foundation model and force-position hybrid control, TUOYUAN executes multi-specification electrical connector insertion, raw material sorting, and loading/unloading of automotive sheet metal components.
Shanghai Electric Software & AI Ecosystem
Developer platforms, fleet management portals, autonomy intelligence, and enterprise integrations
StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing
AI Model Series
51 AI models and agents for R&D, production and operations.
Shanghai Electric Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Humanoid robot matrix shown at WAIC 2026
Shanghai Electric shows its TUOYUAN, Mermaid and SUYUAN humanoids, and a pipe chamfering robot, at WAIC 2026 in Shanghai.
Source: roboticsandautomationnews.com
StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing AI series launched
Shanghai Electric launches 51 AI models and agents under its StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing series across R&D, production and operations.
Source: roboticsandautomationnews.com
Shanghai Electric Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes Shanghai Electric Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓Industrial customer base.
- ✓Broad AI models.
Core Strategic Focus
Deploying robots in its own and customer factories.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •No prices or dates.
- •Robotics is a small part of the group.
Shanghai Electric vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Payload Capacity
- Mermaid (Shanghai Electric)
- 15 kg per arm
- Zoomlion Humanoid
- 20 kg per arm
- RoboForce Titan
- 25 kg total
- Helios (ROKAE)
- 5 kg per arm
Target Setting
- Mermaid (Shanghai Electric)
- Power & Machinery Plants
- Zoomlion Humanoid
- Construction Megafactories
- RoboForce Titan
- Steel & Fabrication
- Helios (ROKAE)
- Automotive Assembly
Mobility
- Mermaid (Shanghai Electric)
- Omnidirectional Wheeled
- Zoomlion Humanoid
- Bipedal / Tracked
- RoboForce Titan
- All-Terrain Wheeled
- Helios (ROKAE)
- Omnidirectional Wheeled
Corporate Backing
- Mermaid (Shanghai Electric)
- Shanghai Electric Group
- Zoomlion Humanoid
- Zoomlion Heavy Industry
- RoboForce Titan
- NVIDIA / Venture VC
- Helios (ROKAE)
- ROKAE Robotics
| Strategic Dimension | Mermaid (Shanghai Electric) | Zoomlion Humanoid | RoboForce Titan | Helios (ROKAE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payload Capacity | 15 kg per arm | 20 kg per arm | 25 kg total | 5 kg per arm |
| Target Setting | Power & Machinery Plants | Construction Megafactories | Steel & Fabrication | Automotive Assembly |
| Mobility | Omnidirectional Wheeled | Bipedal / Tracked | All-Terrain Wheeled | Omnidirectional Wheeled |
| Corporate Backing | Shanghai Electric Group | Zoomlion Heavy Industry | NVIDIA / Venture VC | ROKAE Robotics |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Shanghai Electric Holding Group
State-owned controlling shareholder of Shanghai Electric.
Ownership & Acquisition History
State-owned controlling shareholder of Shanghai Electric.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
Shanghai Electric Headquarters
HQShanghai, Shanghai, China
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about Shanghai Electric
What is Shanghai Electric?
Shanghai Electric is a major Chinese equipment manufacturer in Shanghai making power and industrial equipment and automation systems, and it showed industrial humanoid robots at WAIC 2026.
What is the TUOYUAN robot?
TUOYUAN is Shanghai Electric's industrial wheeled humanoid, using an embodied intelligence model and force-position control to insert connectors, sort materials and load automotive sheet metal parts.
What is the SUYUAN robot?
SUYUAN is Shanghai Electric's bipedal humanoid with 41 degrees of freedom, multimodal vision in its head and torso, and a dual-battery hot-swap system for continuous operation.
What is the Mermaid robot?
Mermaid is Shanghai Electric's bionic wheeled humanoid that autonomously identifies buttons, knobs and air switches and generates real-time operation paths for tasks such as pressing and turning.
What is StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing?
StarCloud is Shanghai Electric's series of 51 AI models and agents for research and design, production and manufacturing, and operations and maintenance, launched at WAIC 2026.
What are Shanghai Electric's humanoids used for?
They are designed for industrial jobs such as connector insertion, material sorting, loading automotive sheet metal, operating panel controls and continuous factory work with hot-swappable batteries.
Who leads Shanghai Electric?
Shanghai Electric is chaired by Wu Lei and is headquartered in Shanghai, China, where it makes power generation equipment, industrial equipment and automation systems.
How much do Shanghai Electric's humanoids cost?
Shanghai Electric has not published prices for TUOYUAN, Mermaid or SUYUAN, which were shown at WAIC 2026 as part of its embodied intelligence robot matrix.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official Shanghai Electric datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.