IRON

Overview

IRON is a humanoid robot unveiled by XPeng showcasing an advanced bionic design with a very high number of degrees of freedom. The platform emphasizes human-like motion and dexterous manipulation, leveraging XPeng’s AI and autonomy research. Physical specifications and operational limits have not been fully disclosed.

Next-Gen IRON stands 178 cm tall and weighs 70 kg, according to XPeng. The body has 82 degrees of freedom, with 22 DoF per hand using what XPeng describes as the industry’s smallest harmonic joints. The frame uses a humanoid spine and bionic muscle structure with full-body flexible synthetic skin. Power comes from all-solid-state batteries, which XPeng states provide higher energy density and reduced thermal risk compared to conventional lithium-ion cells. The head features a 3D curved display.

IRON runs three of XPeng’s in-house Turing AI chips and XPeng’s VLA 2.0 model — a Vision-Language-Action system adapted from the company’s autonomous driving stack. According to XPeng’s November 2025 AI Day announcement, the AI architecture combines three model systems: VLT (Vision-Language-Task) for autonomous decision-making, VLA for joint control, and VLM for perception and dialogue. XPeng released an open SDK at the same event, inviting third-party developers to build applications on the platform. Baoshan Iron & Steel was announced as an early ecosystem partner for industrial inspection use cases.

XPeng stated a target of large-scale mass production by end of 2026. Initial commercial focus is on service roles — guided tours, retail assistance, and reception — rather than industrial manufacturing. XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng acknowledged the robot failed during internal trials in the company’s own automotive factories. No pricing has been publicly confirmed. XPeng is a publicly listed EV manufacturer (NYSE: XPEV) and IRON is developed by its robotics division.

Specifications

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Software