What does a Chinese factory for the production of humanoid robots look like (16 photos + 1 video)
At the Ex-Robots factory in Dalian, work is in full swing to create hyper-realistic humanoid robots. They should be able to imitate human facial expressions and emotions, and then, engineers hope, they can be used in the fields of health and education. 
Footage taken inside the Ex-Robots factory shows workers surrounded by piles of heads, neck-length silicone masks and spare limbs as they labor to create the world's most sophisticated class of robots. 
Product drawings hang on the wall, and the factory floor displays female robots in luxurious wigs and makeup on their faces. 
The company's engineers teach robots to repeat their facial expressions and emotions.
There is a funny moment in the video when an Ex-Robots employee moves her head, smiles and sticks out her tongue, and the humanoid robot exactly imitates her movements.
Droids use tiny motors mounted in several places on their heads and artificial intelligence to recognize and imitate human behavior.
“We have our own team of software and algorithm developers,” said Ex-Robots executive director Lee Boyang. — There are many basic open source models and algorithms that everyone uses. However, we are focusing more on how to enable AI to recognize facial expressions and emotions.”
He added that the startup, which was founded in 2009 and began developing humanoid robots in 2016, is also working on its “baseline model.”
“The model we are creating is multimodal and capable of expressing emotions,” Lee said. “She can perceive her surroundings and make appropriate facial expressions.”
According to Ex-Robots representatives, manufacturing a humanoid robot takes from two weeks to a month, and the price ranges from ¥1.5 million to ¥2 million.
So far, the company's robots are intended mainly for display in museums, one of which Ex-Robots placed in the same building as its factory.
Looking to the future, Lee believes humanoid robots will play an increasing role in healthcare and education.
Ex-Robots showcased its humanoid robots at the World Robot Conference, China's leading robotics conference and exhibition, last August, exhibiting its animatronic heads and humanoid robots.
During the conference, Lee said humanoid robots are ideal for roles that require interaction with the public, such as in museums, tourist attractions, schools and situations that require the assistance of a companion.
Ex-Robots reportedly used 3D scanning, digital design and 3D printing to create synthetic skin, and in 2023 it succeeded in creating the world's lightest humanoid robot.
Ex-Robots opened its EX Future science and technology museum in China's Liaoning province in 2022, six years after droid development began.
The museum, which is the first robot museum in the country, aims to immerse visitors in a full robotic environment, even replacing humans with humanoid robots as tour guides. Robots also use advanced technology, intelligent voice dialogue and cognitive technologies to directly interact with visitors.
The museum also has an artificial intelligence robot research center, a bionic robot production center, a bionic robot experimental module and other advanced exhibits.
