Dobot Deploys ATOM "Robot Army" in Third Mass Delivery Phase

The marketing of humanoid robotics has entered a visual arms race. This week, Chinese robotics firm Dobot released footage signaling the kickoff of its third batch of mass deliveries for its ATOM full-size industrial humanoid. The video—featuring a large warehouse door opening to reveal rows of robots standing in formation—is a calculated echo of the mass delivery announcement released by UBTECH late last year.

For Dobot, the demonstration is intended to prove that it is "closing the loop" on production, moving beyond laboratory prototypes to fulfill large-scale deployment goals for 2026.

Industrial Pedigree and Hardware Specs

Unlike many competitors that emerged from academic research labs, Dobot identifies as the only "embodied-intelligence enterprise born directly from the manufacturing floor." This industrial focus is reflected in the ATOM's price point and durability metrics.

• Cost: The unit is priced at approximately $27,500 (199,000 yuan), positioning it as a competitive entry in the high-stakes "numbers war" currently being fought between Unitree and AgiBot.
• Form Factor: Standing at 165cm (5'5"), the ATOM features 28 degrees of freedom and dexterous five-fingered hands designed for high-precision assembly.
• Reliability: Dobot reports that joint modules undergo nearly 10,000 cycles of testing, with each unit subjected to standardized stress tests for dynamic balance before hitting the line.

The company's approach mirrors the recent pivot seen at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, where market-oriented operations are now taking precedence over pure R&D.

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The "DOBOT-VLA" Brain

At the core of the ATOM is the self-developed DOBOT-VLA (Vision-Language-Action) model. This "brain" is designed to translate abstract verbal commands into structured task chains and generalized movements. By combining end-to-end technology with reinforcement learning, the system attempts to bridge the "utility gap" that has historically limited robots to fixed scripts.

Recent field applications of the model include:

1. Commercial Service: An ATOM agent deployed at a cinema in Shenzhen operates autonomously to sense its surroundings and make judgments.
2. Industrial Assembly: Robots are being validated in frontline industrial environments for material handling and precision tasks.

This focus on autonomy-driven intelligence arrives at a time when industry leaders like Figure CEO Brett Adcock have aggressively critiqued competitors for using "human-in-the-loop" teleoperation as a crutch. Dobot claims its robots can transition from human demonstration via VR to autonomous execution in as little as two hours.

Scaling Amid a "Great Numbers War"

Dobot’s third-batch announcement adds a new layer of complexity to the global shipment leaderboard. Currently, the market is characterized by a "Great Numbers War," with AgiBot claiming the top spot with over 5,000 units delivered, while Unitree disputes those figures, insisting on a "pure humanoid" count.

By shipping industrial-grade units in volume, Dobot is attempting to prove that its "Super Factory" model—which integrates humanoid, wheeled, and quadrupedal robots under a single intelligent hub—can deliver flexible productivity solutions.

While the "robot army" visuals are designed for impact, the true test for Dobot remains the same as its rivals: whether these thousands of units can prove their real-world value on the assembly lines of high-profile industrial partners.