Recently, the Yunnan Honghe Power Supply Bureau of China Southern Power Grid introduced humanoid robots for use at power grid construction sites—marking the first time such robots have been applied to grid infrastructure projects in China.

At the 220kV Jian Substation, under staff command, a silver humanoid robot entered a substation bay to perform tasks such as tightening grounding bolts on isolator switch boxes and installing spacer rods on overhead conductors—jobs that would normally be time-consuming and labor-intensive for humans, but were completed quickly and efficiently through the robot’s precise movements.

At another site for overhead transmission line installation, after multiple rounds of technical calibration, the humanoid robot operated equipment such as tensioners and crimping machines, assisting workers with tasks like wire deployment and compression.

Liu Aimin, Director of the Planning and Construction Management Center, stated that power grid construction involves a large amount of repetitive labour and poses high-risk scenarios such as working at heights and in confined spaces.