Inside a production facility, robotic arms are moving with rapid precision. In busy shopping districts, robots navigate through crowds and offer real-time directions. On sports fields, robots with metal limbs are running and jumping, keeping pace with human athletes. The range of applications for robots is broadening every day, yet a core challenge still exists: robots don't truly resemble people.

A typical 1.7-meter humanoid robot can weigh between 70 and 80 kilograms, with stiff joints and a cold, artificial exterior. So how can robots be made to feel more lifelike? In Longkou City, Yantai, Shandong Province, Dawn Group is tackling this issue by fundamentally altering the "bones and skin" of robots to make them lighter, friendlier, and more natural in their interactions.

Where to begin

Dawn Group has spent years focused on advanced polymer materials, with its research and manufactured products used prominently across the automotive industry, aerospace, and sports health sectors. Several new offerings are being applied to create robotic components such as skin, muscles, shells, and bone structures. These materials are distinguished by their lightweight properties, high strength, and durability against wear.

Replacing the skeleton involves using lightweight materials for the robot's frame and joints. Dawn Group has developed specialty alloy materials using a dielectric cross-linking technology that allows for "plastic instead of steel." Implemented in robot lightweight reducers, this approach can reduce weight by roughly 80%. Additionally, a pre-impregnated tape made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) can be applied at the connections of a robot's skeleton, improving its range of motion and dexterity.

Transforming the skin focuses on using elastomer materials for the robot's outer layer and muscles. Dawn Group's thermoplastic elastomers are designed to conduct electricity and respond to temperature and light. When used for a robot's skin, this allows the machine to react to its environment in a more human-like way and supports a wider range of emotional expressions. Furthermore, new photo-cured 3D printing elastomers provide a technical pathway for the next generation of highly realistic and dexterous robots.

Looking ahead, robots are set to become warmer, more perceptive, and more expressive. By shifting from supplying standard industrial components to creating lifelike bionic surfaces, Dawn Group, with its expertise in polymer materials, is identifying new routes to make robots more convincingly human.