On February 28, 2026, the Standardization Technical Committee for Humanoid Robots and Embossed Intelligence under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially released the "Standard System for Humanoid Robots and Embossed Intelligence (2026 Edition)." This is my country's first national-level standard top-level design covering the entire industrial chain and life cycle of humanoid robots, jointly compiled by the Standardization Technical Committee and over 120 research institutes and leading enterprises. While the industry is still debating the technical "red lines" drawn by national standards for robots, a seemingly insignificant basic material-adhesive-has already felt the benefits.
Why adhesives specifically?
Humanoid robots are facing a "ceiling" that traditional connection methods cannot overcome.
Unlike the rigid mechanical structure of traditional industrial robots, humanoid robots pursue human-like bionic characteristics-complex structures, flexible forms, and materials have expanded from steel and aluminum to lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and engineering plastics. Traditional screws, welding, and riveting are already struggling to meet the multiple goals of "lightweight, high strength, and precise integration." Adhesives, as a multifunctional material system combining bonding, sealing, thermal conductivity, and shock absorption, are becoming an indispensable basic material in humanoid robot manufacturing.
In humanoid robot manufacturing, adhesives are used throughout the entire robot, primarily focusing on four key areas:
1. Structural connections between the main structure and joints: Joints, motors, and supports must withstand high dynamic loads. Traditional mechanical fasteners are prone to fatigue and loosening, which also affects the system's weight. Using two-component epoxy structural adhesives for structural bonding can effectively disperse stress concentration and improve the bond strength between composite materials and metals. These adhesives have shear strengths of 20-60 MPa, ensuring connection strength while reducing the overall structural weight by 10-30%.
2. Thermal management within the electronic control system: Humanoid robots extensively use high-power-density frameless torque motors, servo controllers, and battery packs. Heat distribution is concentrated but space is limited. Traditional metal heat dissipation solutions cannot completely cover this heat. Therefore, thermally conductive adhesives become an important component of the robot's heat dissipation path. High thermal conductivity (2.16 W/m·K) potting compounds can reduce motor operating temperature from 95℃ to 52℃, increasing power density by 40%.
3. Flexible Coverage and Humanoid Facial Design for Human-Machine Interfaces The increasing use of materials such as TPU, silicone, and flexible electronics places higher demands on the compatibility of bonding processes. Silicone-based neutral adhesives and flexible UV-curable adhesives are widely used for fixing masks, skin layers, and embedded sensors. These adhesives have an elongation at break exceeding 300%, allowing them to withstand repeated stretching of the skin layer without breaking.
4. Sealing and Cable Management of the Whole Machine Humanoid robots typically require a certain level of waterproof and dustproof capabilities, especially in manufacturing or outdoor demonstration scenarios, where IP ratings often need to reach IP54 or higher. Commonly used RTV silicone, hot melt adhesive strips, and flowable encapsulating adhesives are used for various opening edges and interface transition areas.
From practical application feedback, although the amount of adhesive used in the whole machine is small, its role in the number of connectors, structural integrity, safety, and maintainability is becoming increasingly critical.
