Press Release
Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Is Honored with the A' Design Award for J Panda Embodied Smart Bipedal Robot in Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design
Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center honored for robotics, automaton and automation design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 27, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ J Panda Embodied Smart Bipedal Robot by Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has been granted the A' Design Award in the Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About J Panda Embodied Smart Bipedal Robot
J Panda is a bipedal service robot designed for interaction and companionship in public places. The form combines the black and white markings, oversized head and rounded ears of the giant panda with a robotic exoskeleton. Two seven inch circular eye displays produce micro expressions such as blinking and squinting. A motion system with 21 degrees of freedom supports nodding, hugging and turning in time with speech. Traditional Chinese bamboo weaving and embroidery patterns are applied to the structure. A regional edition uses an outer shell of ABS composite with 50 percent bamboo powder.
About Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center
Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is the first team in China dedicated to the research and development of humanoid robot brains. The company is committed to building a human-like intelligent core for robots, endowing them with strong artificial intelligence capabilities that integrate understanding, reasoning, and execution, truly achieving human-like thinking and action.
Award Record
With this recognition, Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design Award
The A' Robotics Design Award is an international robotics design competition recognizing good robotics designs by robotics designers and engineers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to robotics designers, automation engineers, robotics brands and robot manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include industrial robots, medical robots, agricultural robots, domestic robots, autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots. Awarded robotics designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/robotics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/179934
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/179934
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!179934
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/378630
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- J Panda Embodied Smart Bipedal Robot
- Function
- Embodied Smart Bipedal Robot
- Category
- Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Manufacturing and Innovation
- Colors
- Lavender, Light Gray, Silver, Dark Slate Gray and Gray
- Images
- 4
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #179934
Credits
- Team
- Ruirui Zhang,, Xuesi Ma, and Yuxi Zhang
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- J Panda is an integrated intelligent service robot designed to provide interactions and companionship in public places. It combines the cute image of a giant panda with a sleek robotic exoskeleton, giving it tech forward appeal, friendliness, and cultural identity. Through subtle micro expressions like blinking and squinting, humanlike gestures and voice interactions, J Panda creates a consistent and layered emotional dialogue for a more immersive and emotionally resonant companionship.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the national treasure of China, the giant panda, a universal symbol of peace, friendliness, and affinity, J Panda features signature black and white color, oversized head, and rounded ears, integrated with a futuristic robotic exoskeleton to create a futuristic space panda form, giving it technological forward appeal and elevating friendliness and cultural identity. It combines advanced technology with emotional engagement and cultural storytelling in an interactive form.
- Research
- As robots become increasingly present in public services and companionship scenarios, many existing robots prioritize functionality while overlooking emotional connection, leaving interactions feeling distant and impersonal. Rooted in the philosophy of emotional technology, J Panda adopts a holistic design approach that integrates form, interaction, and motion control to make robotic interaction feel warm, expressive, and human.
- Challenge
- The challenge was to reimagine the cold, mechanical robot as emotionally engaging companions. The design team combined a giant panda image with a robotic exoskeleton, using subtle micro expressions and humanlike gestures to enhance the interaction experience. Traditional robot components are often nonrecyclable. Drawing on Sichuan bamboo expertise, the team incorporated bamboo into the structure of J Panda, promoting the applications of sustainable materials in intelligent hardware.
- Realization and Technology
- J Panda weaves intangible cultural heritage elements of China, like Shu embroidery and traditional bamboo weaving, into its mechanical structure, bringing a warm, handcrafted touch and natural texture to its futuristic form. In collaboration with Dazhu County, leading bamboo producing county in Sichuan, a regional special edition has been created, which features an outer shell made of ABS composite infused with 50% bamboo powder, combining structural strength with biodegradability.
- Operation and Interaction
- J Panda features 7 inch circular eye displays, each capable of presenting content independently. It can make subtle expressions like blinking or squinting. With a 21 DOF motion system and 80 TOPS of computing power, it can perform nodding, hugging, or turning in sync with speech, creating natural, lifelike interactions. AMP imitation learning technology enables the system to dynamically adapt its walking styles and standing postures to environments, allowing it to handle complex scenarios.
- Project Duration and Location
- Launched in October 2025, the project completed its exterior and structural design by December 2025 and has since moved into prototype testing, with official launch and delivery scheduled for February 2026.
- Keywords
- Bipedal Robot, Public Service, Companionship and Interaction, Cultural Symbol, Micro Expression Interaction, Humanlike Gestures, AMP Imitation Learning Technology, Ecofriendly Materials
