When Boston Dynamics’ Atlas completed high-difficulty moves like backflips, when Unitree’s humanoid robot wore a cotton-padded jacket and twirled handkerchiefs on the Spring Festival Gala, and when the rapidly evolving T1 robot competed on the football field, humanoid robots have moved from science fiction to real-world competition.
In the wave of industrialization of AI humanoid robots, breakthroughs in connector and cable technology have become the key to breaking the deadlock.
However, the technical contradiction between high-frequency transmission and space compression, the reliability challenge of a million-cycle bending life, and the industrial chain coordination difficulties caused by the lack of industry standards have become the core bottlenecks restricting the development of the industry.
International Cable & Connector, through in-depth dialogues with TE Connectivity (referred to as “TE”), Shenzhen Robot Special Cable Industry Association, Shenzhen Evaluation Center for Robotics and Intelligent Technology (SSRTA), and Zhongwei (Henan) New Materials, and other core links in the industrial chain, analyzes the performance requirements of humanoid robots for connectors, cables, and other core components, and explores feasible paths for enhancing local capabilities and achieving industrial chain synergy.
01
The Rise of the Humanoid Robot Industry:
The Crucial Role of Connectors and Cables
This year, humanoid robots have been quite busy, participating in activities such as performing Yangko dance, twirling handkerchiefs, running half marathons, and engaging in combat competitions.
From household services to industrial settings, from entertainment interaction to professional competitions, humanoid robots are refreshing public perception with their unprecedented flexibility and have become the hottest “new species” in the capital circle.
According to Markets and Markets, the global market size of humanoid robots is expected to reach 17.3 billion US dollars by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate as high as 63.5%. Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics, once stated that by the end of 2025, AI humanoid robots will reach a new level.
Driven by both breakthroughs in AI technology and policy dividends, the humanoid robot sector has seen a surge in popularity: after completing its Series C round of financing, Unitree Robotics has a valuation of over 10 billion yuan. Meanwhile, Huawei and Tencent have respectively reached strategic partnerships with UBTECH and DJI Robotic, deeply integrating technology, scenarios and resources.
The disassembly report of Tesla Optimus shows that it uses about 15 sets of single-arm connectors per arm, and it is estimated that the entire machine uses 70 to 100 sets.
According to the expert exchange summary of the robot connector released in the discovery report, the price of Tesla robot connectors is generally 30 to 50 yuan per piece. Based on this estimation, the value of connectors for a single robot is as high as 5,000 yuan. And high-degree-of-freedom devices like humanoid robots pose strict tests on core components.
For instance, the only participating UST G1 humanoid robot in the combat competition has 29 flexible joints. During balance training, it needs to withstand impacts from different directions and with different intensities while maintaining balance. This places extremely high demands on the reliability of connectors, sensors, and cables.
Bian Kai, the channel sales manager of the Digital Data Network Division of TE Connectivity (hereinafter referred to as “TE”), introduced that connectors in robots are responsible for transmitting power, ensuring that the current is stable, safe and reliably transmitted between components such as power supplies, motors and controllers, driving the movement and function realization of robots. At the same time, connectors also transmit signals between sensors and actuators, ensuring smooth and real-time communication among all parts, achieving coordinated actions and intelligent responses.
For humanoid robots to have the ability to perceive the environment and make intelligent responses, sensors are indispensable.
Zheng Tingting, the business development manager for TE Sensor Division in the Asia-Pacific region, mentioned that the most fundamental role of sensors is to monitor and measure physical or environmental parameters and convert this information into signals that can be processed, displayed or recorded. They are like the sensory system of a robot and form its perception layer.
TE Zheng Tingting pointed out that sensors have the functions of data collection and environmental perception, signal output and feedback control, as well as safety monitoring and fault alarm. In terms of signal output and feedback control, sensors convert physical quantities into electrical signals, which can then be transmitted to the data processing system or controller through connectors for subsequent analysis and decision-making.
In a robot system, the collaboration between connectors and sensors ensures the efficient and stable transmission of power and signals.
Through high-quality connectors, robots can achieve reliable power supply and information exchange for the entire system. Sensors endow robots with perception capabilities, enabling them to make rapid responses and intelligent decisions in dynamic environments.
When it comes to the flexible cables of humanoid robots, Huang Xianggan, the secretary-general of the Shenzhen Robot Special Cables Industry Association, vividly described it this way: A human body has 96,000 kilometers of blood vessels. So, how many cables will be used in future humanoid robots?
At the same time, Huang Xianggan also emphasized that flexible cables need to possess high-frequency transmission characteristics, anti-interference characteristics, high flexibility characteristics, lightweight characteristics, and other features in order to meet the bending and efficient transmission requirements of humanoid robots.
02
Humanoid robot upgrade!
Multidimensional breakthrough demands for connectors and cables
Compared with the fixed workstations and single-task characteristics of industrial robots, humanoid robots need to adapt to complex movement patterns such as bipedal walking and multi-joint collaboration. Their application scenarios have expanded from factory production lines to diverse fields including home services and medical care.
Taking mobile robot AGV as an example, the connector demands of AGV mainly focus on charging and control board aspects. The charging connector needs to be plugged and unplugged frequently, possibly up to 70 to 80 times a day, with extremely high performance requirements. It needs to have features such as low temperature rise, low contact resistance, and high number of mating cycles to prevent issues like hot plugging or burning out the machine, explained Tu Guojiao, Industry Manager of Robotics and Warehouse Automation in TE’s Industrial Automation and Electrical Division.
Humanoid robots need to process thousands of motion instructions per second, and each joint has to withstand millions of bends under tens of kilograms of load. This poses unprecedented challenges to connectors, cables and materials.
Connectors: The ultimate challenge of miniaturization, integration and high vibration resistance.
As a global industry technology enterprise with profound accumulation in the field of robotics, TE has long been dedicated to the research and development of core component technologies such as connectors. Its product system covers key areas such as industrial automation communication connections, power management, and motor connections, and it has rich market experience.
In this conversation, Tu Guojiao, the Industry Manager of Robotics and Warehouse Automation in the Industrial Automation and Electrical Division of TE, and Bian Kai, the Channel Sales Manager of the Digital Data Network Division, comprehensively pointed out the requirements for connectors in humanoid robots from the perspectives of mechanical performance, materials, and cost.
Miniaturization: Due to humanoid structures such as two feet and arms, the internal space is compact. For instance, early mechanical hands might have only required two wires for control, but today’s complex mechanical hands may need more wires to control joints and sensors. This leads to the need for connector outer diameters to be reduced from the traditional 5 millimeters to less than 3 millimeters to meet the installation requirements of complex mechanical hands and other components.
Integration: It is necessary to incorporate multiple functions within a limited space, such as simultaneously transmitting power and data; support multiple signal channels to avoid the space waste of traditional separated designs.
High vibration resistance: Bipedal walking and metal structures generate high-frequency vibrations, lacking flexible buffering. The connector needs to withstand tens of thousands of daily compound mechanical stresses such as stretching and twisting, maintaining stable contact resistance to ensure uninterrupted signal transmission in dynamic environments.
Cost control: Adopt modular design to enhance the convenience of flexible component replacement, thereby reducing R&D and production costs.
Cables: The Balance Between Flexibility and Transmission Efficiency
Huang Xianggan, the secretary-general of the Deep Cable Association, pointed out that the cables for humanoid robots need to simultaneously meet the contradictory demands of “high-frequency transmission” and “space compression”: on the one hand, the joints’ daily bending tens of thousands of times require the cables to have a bending life of over 20 million times; on the other hand, the high-density integration demand forces the cable diameter to break through the 0.5-millimeter level.
The cables should possess the following characteristics:
- High-frequency transmission characteristics: It has excellent high-frequency signal transmission capability, enabling microsecond-level response, ensuring rapid and stable transmission of high-frequency signals such as joint movement instructions, and reducing latency.
- Anti-interference characteristics: It must have efficient shielding capabilities to ensure the accuracy and stability of signal transmission, prevent signal attenuation or interruption, and adapt to the complex working environment of robots.
- High flexibility feature: It needs to withstand over 20 million times of bending and twisting, meeting the high degree-of-freedom movement requirements of joints, and there is no risk of swinging failure.
- Lightweight feature: Adopting a lightweight design reduces the weight of the cables, helping robots improve their motion efficiency and energy efficiency.
- Environmental adaptability: Resistant to oil, wear, and high temperatures (such as -40°C to 125°C), and capable of withstanding dynamic tension changes, ensuring stable operation under various working conditions.
At the material level, Yao Guofeng, the deputy general manager of Zhongwei New Materials, emphasized: “The connector and cable materials at the joints of humanoid robots need to overcome multiple technical hurdles. They must not only have fatigue resistance under high-frequency dynamic loads to prevent component cracks, but also maintain dimensional stability in a wide temperature range. At the same time, they must meet requirements such as high wear resistance, low friction coefficient, lightweight, and resistance to chemical corrosion.”
03
Breaking the Bottleneck of “Neck-Cutting”:
Connector Technology Breakthrough and Cable Standardization Campaign
While traditional industrial robots still accommodate connectors in a “centimeter-level” space, the hip joint module of humanoid robots has compressed the available space to the size of a “fingernail”. When the connectors in industrial scenarios only need to handle tens of thousands of bends, the joints of humanoid robots need to withstand tens of thousands of bends every day.
The “flexibility” of humanoid robots conceals the most painful “bottleneck” link in the industrial chain.
Take connectors as an example. International giants like TE and Amphenol dominate the global high-end market. Domestic enterprises still have generational gaps in key technologies such as miniaturization and anti-vibration.
It is worth noting that as a practitioner of global layout and deep local engagement, TE, relying on over 80 years of R&D and manufacturing experience in the connector field and nearly 40 years of localization accumulation in the Chinese market, is providing important references for the industry with its technical solutions and problem-solving approaches.
International Cables & Connectors: For humanoid robots, how does TE meet the demands of miniaturization, anti-interference, and cost control through customized connectors?
TE states: In terms of miniaturization design, TE combines compact structure with functional integration, such as the industrial-grade Mini I/O wire-to-wire Ethernet transmission connector with a volume of only 1/4 of the traditional RJ45, which is compatible with transmission rates from 100Mbps to 10Gbps, and the charging plug that integrates power and signal transmission, achieving space optimization and multi-function integration, and enhancing the flexibility of robot movement.
In terms of anti-interference, TE has designed multiple anti-interference and anti-electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) connectors, adopting various electromagnetic shielding technologies and optimized signal transmission paths, and providing products such as shielding covers to ensure the stability of high-frequency signals and the integrity of data. At the same time, TE has been constantly researching how to improve the structural reliability of products. For example, TE’s floating board-to-board connector adopts an innovative floating design with a large tolerance range, allowing a certain amount of shaking space between the connectors after insertion, ensuring signal stability in complex environments.
In terms of cost control, by implementing a “global layout + localization strategy”, we integrate global resources to provide high-performance products while effectively controlling costs. In material selection, we choose classic materials to reduce the need for frequent development of new materials; some connectors adopt halogen-free design to meet customers’ environmental compliance requirements, achieving a balance between performance and cost.
In the field of cables, Huang Xianggan pointed out that currently, overseas enterprises such as Nexans and Leoni monopolize the market for high-flexibility products in industrial robots, and the domestic production rate of extremely fine coaxial cables required for humanoid robots is low. This technological gap not only drives up manufacturing costs but also restricts the autonomous controllability of the overall performance of the machines.
International Cables & Connectors: How does the cable industry address the reliability challenge of a million-cycle bending life in humanoid robot applications?
Huang Xianggan of the Deep Cable Association: In terms of material selection, the conductor is made of multi-strand ultra-fine oxygen-free copper wire, and the insulation and sheath are made of special materials such as TPE and silicone rubber composites, and PUR and graphene blends, which enhance flexibility and wear resistance.
In terms of structural design, the conductors are made by layering and twisting or helically winding and filled with aramid fibers for anti-twist, and the outer sheath adopts corrugated tubes or segmented design. Some cables adopt double shielding structure.
In terms of manufacturing process, special processing is adopted to ensure uniform force on the wire core, and a dedicated laboratory is set up to simulate working conditions and test lifespan.
International Cables & Connectors: The absence of domestic cable standards hinders the coordination of the industrial chain. From the perspective of cable enterprises, which standards are most urgently needed to be formulated at present? What significance do these standards have for enterprises and the industry?
Huang Xianggan from the Deep Cable Association: At present, the most urgent need is to formulate standards in four aspects: performance, testing, materials, and interfaces.
- Performance standards: Clearly define electrical, mechanical performance, and environmental adaptability indicators for scenarios such as humanoid robots and unmanned aerial vehicles.
- Testing standards: Establish uniform testing methods and procedures to ensure accurate and comparable results;
- Material standards: Specify the quality and composition of raw materials such as conductors, insulators, and sheaths;
- Interface standard: Unify the interface specifications of cables, devices, and connectors to enhance collaborative efficiency.
In response to this, the Shenzhen Special Cables Industry Association for Robots is taking the lead in jointly formulating standards for the performance, testing, materials and interfaces of cables and connectors for humanoid robots with terminal manufacturers, cable enterprises and connector enterprises. This will clarify technical specifications and quality requirements, providing a unified basis for industrial chain collaboration.
It is worth noting that the first national humanoid robot cable technology exchange conference held by the association was held in Ji’an, Jiangxi Province on July 7th.
IEEE recently released a report indicating that the current industrial robot standards are difficult to cover the special requirements of humanoid robots in terms of dynamic stability and human-robot interaction.
From the perspective of standard testing, Qiao Sen, the founder and general manager of Deep Evaluation SSRTA, pointed out that the joints of humanoid robots move frequently, and the connectors and cables need to withstand mechanical stresses such as high-frequency stretching, twisting, and vibration, while maintaining stable electrical performance.
International Cables & Connectors: What are the most prominent technical difficulties in the standard certification work of components such as connectors, cables, and new materials for humanoid robots?
In-depth Review: Qiao Sen: The challenges mainly lie in the adaptability to dynamic environments, the coupling effects of multiple physical fields, the performance verification of new materials, and the balance between standardization and customization.
One is the reliability verification under dynamic conditions. Cables need to pass millions of times of bending life tests, while connectors need to ensure signal transmission accuracy under dynamic loads. However, traditional tests are difficult to simulate multi-axis stress coupling.
Second, components need to simultaneously address multi-dimensional challenges such as mechanical stress, thermal effects, and electromagnetic interference. For instance, cables must adopt multi-layer shielding designs like aluminum foil + braided copper to resist interference, but high-temperature environments may cause the shielding materials to age. The metal materials of connectors may experience changes in contact resistance due to differences in thermal expansion coefficients over long-term use, leading to signal attenuation.
Thirdly, there is a balance between standardization and customization. Different robot designs (such as the linear joints of Tesla Optimus and the rotary joints of UBTECH Walker) have significant differences in requirements for component sizes, interface protocols, and environmental adaptability. Existing standards such as ISO 10218 mainly target industrial robots and lack dedicated specifications for humanoid robots.
For this purpose, Shenzhendianping has developed the “Robot Adaptive Testing Platform“, which automatically adjusts the height and angle of the detection head to fit different sizes of connectors and cables, integrates laser non-contact measurement technology to monitor deformation in real time, and verifies reliability through digital twin simulation of multi-axis motion scenarios.
In addition, Shenzheng Deep Evaluation has also established a standardized system based on group standards, clearly defined the indicators for joint modules to fill the domestic certification gap, and revised in accordance with international standards to promote global mutual recognition of testing methods.
Summary
Through the technological practices of key components in the industrial chain such as TE Connectivity, the Cable Industry Association, Shendu Pingce, and Zhongwei Xinniao Materials, a breakthrough battle around the core components of humanoid robots is clearly visible.
From the research and development of fatigue resistance and extreme environment tolerance at the material end, to the miniaturization and integration innovation at the connector end; from the breakthroughs in high flexibility and high-frequency transmission at the cable end, to the construction of a localized certification system at the standard certification end, each link in the industrial chain is working in synergy to inject critical momentum into the independent control of core components in the industry.
In the future, connectors and cables will accelerate their evolution along the direction of being “smaller, more flexible and smarter”.
The 2024 white paper released by the Shenzhen Robot Special Cables Industry Association clearly states that flexible cables will evolve towards “thinner diameters”, simultaneously enhancing their anti-interference, lightweight, and environmental adaptability.
In the field of connectors, miniaturization and integration remain the core directions. Functional integration, modular design and material innovation will become the key points of technological breakthroughs.
With the continuous accumulation of domestic industrial chains in aspects such as materials, processes, and testing, and the gradual improvement of the standardization system, the core components of humanoid robots are expected to strike a balance between “self-reliance and control” and “global competitiveness”, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale implementation and diversified application scenarios of the industry.