BYD has revealed the design of its first self-developed humanoid robot after China’s National Intellectual Property Administration published an embodied-AI robot design patent on October 9, 2026. The patent describes a machine able to walk, keep its balance and interact with its surroundings, with potential uses in service, education and industrial work.
The patent drawings show a black-and-white robot with a rounded head that has no display, and articulated joints in its torso, arms and legs. Its appearance is similar to Xiao Di, a humanoid previously previewed by BYD, but the company has not confirmed that the patent depicts the final production model.
Previously disclosed figures for Xiao Di put its height at 1.61 meters and weight at 58.5 kilograms. It is reported to have 31 degrees of freedom and a dexterous hand with repeat positioning accuracy of plus or minus 1 millimeter, supporting tasks such as grasping objects, gestures and pointing-based explanations.
BYD says its embodied-AI effort dates to the formation of a dedicated research team in 2022. The company has invested in Agibot and Percibot, and has hosted UBTech’s Walker S1 robot at its Changsha factory for material handling and identification trials. BYD executives have also discussed using robots in dealerships for customer greetings, vehicle explanations and infotainment demonstrations.