Mitsubishi Electric developed what it describes as the industry's first machining system linking a humanoid robot and a CNC machine tool through physical AI. A demonstration is scheduled to be shown at JIMTOF2026 in October 2026, contributing to labor reduction at manufacturing sites.
The company announced a system comprising 3 elements: an AI machining task planner that automatically allocates and executes tasks between a humanoid robot and a CNC machine tool based on natural-language instructions, a CNC machine equipped with physical AI, and a humanoid robot.
The system is intended to automate manufacturing operations and reduce labor by transferring some tasks traditionally performed by operators, such as setup, cleaning, material handling and inspection, to robots.
The background is a labor shortage in manufacturing. Whereas conventional industrial robots require the development of communications functions and control sequences for each robot, the company emphasized that this system can be operated without extensive custom development.
A demonstration is also scheduled to be exhibited at JIMTOF2026, to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from 26 October 2026, and a live demonstration is expected to be made available.