TOKYO, October 21, 2026 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it has developed the industry's first¹ machining system in which humanoid robots and computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools seamlessly collaborate through physical AI.² The system enables humanoid robots to perform tasks traditionally handled by machine-tool operators—including setup, cleaning, the removal and transport of finished products, inspection, and troubleshooting—thereby helping to reduce labor requirements at machining sites.

Against the backdrop of a serious labor shortage in the manufacturing industry, demand is growing for the automation of tasks performed by operators at machining sites. However, replacing tasks that rely on human physical capabilities—such as setting up the workpiece inside machine tools and cleaning them—using conventional industrial robots requires substantial capital investment to modify production lines and accommodate the robots. As a result, there is growing demand for humanoid robots that could perform such work without the need for expensive retrofitting, and development efforts are advancing worldwide. However, a major obstacle to their adoption has been the need to develop dedicated communication functions and control sequences for each robot in order to connect it to CNC machine tools.

Mitsubishi Electric's newly developed system comprises three main components: 1) An AI machining task planner that receives operators' instructions in natural language, automatically generates machining tasks, and assigns and coordinates work between a CNC machine tool and a humanoid robot; 2) A CNC machine tool equipped with physical AI that exchanges operational information in natural language and collaborates with the humanoid robot to perform machining; and 3) A general-purpose humanoid robot. The AI machining task planner and the physical AI integrated into the CNC machine tool are equipped with physical AI newly developed using Mitsubishi Electric's proprietary AI technology, Maisart™.³

This system enables unmanned machining operations and management based solely on an operator's basic work instructions, eliminating the need for complex integration of individual robots. Mitsubishi Electric aims to accelerate the transformation toward smart factories and enable fully autonomous, unmanned factories that enhance production efficiency through innovative technologies.

A demonstration of this system will be exhibited at the 33rd Japan International Machine Tool Fair (JIMTOF 2026), which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from October 26, 2026.