Mitsubishi Electric links humanoids to CNC machine tools through physical AI

Mitsubishi Electric said in a press release on Oct 21 that it has developed a machining system in which a humanoid robot and a CNC machine tool work together through physical AI, which it calls an industry first based on its own survey of numerical-control systems built for humanoid integration.

According to the release, an AI machining task planner takes an operator's plain-language instruction, generates the machining tasks and divides them between the machine and the robot, while a CNC unit fitted with newly developed physical AI exchanges operating information with the robot in natural language; both AI parts are built on the company's Maisart AI technology, and the robot itself is a general-purpose humanoid.

The goal, the company said, is to let humanoids take over setup, cleaning, part removal, transport, inspection and fault handling at the machine without custom communication code and control sequences for each robot model.

It named no robot partner, price, customer or launch date and will demonstrate the system at JIMTOF 2026 in Tokyo from Oct 26. MEKAWIRE context: machine-tool maker Yamazaki Mazak picked Japanese AI firm ABEJA on Oct 16 to build physical-AI agents and robot training for its machines, as MEKAWIRE reported.