From science fiction to reality: The power of Luoyang in the "joints" of humanoid robots, how does AVE Bearing support the future?

When Tesla's Optimus smoothly grasps objects, and Boston Dynamics' Atlas leaps nimbly through ruins, humanoid robots have long transcended the realm of science fiction, becoming a new technological calling card for high-end manufacturing capabilities. Behind these human-like precision movements lies the coordinated operation of countless intricate components, and the bearings, known as the "heart of the joints," are the core secret determining the robot's motion precision and lifespan—AVE Precision Bearing Co., Ltd. from Luoyang is injecting hardcore power into this technological revolution with its micron-level precision technology.
The "Joint Revolution" of Humanoid Robots: Bearings are the Key Answer

The allure of humanoid robots lies in their highly biomimetic movement capabilities. From simple walking and turning to precise fingertip manipulation, every movement of dozens of joints throughout the body must simultaneously meet three core requirements: high precision, high rigidity, and small size. This places extreme demands on core transmission components: they must withstand the weight of the limbs and external loads, ensure rotational errors are controlled at the micron level, and adapt to a compact biomimetic structural design.

In the "power transmission chain" of a robot's joints, reducers and bearings constitute the most critical "dual cores." RV reducers amplify the power of heavy-load joints, while harmonic reducers support the flexible operation of lightly loaded parts. The performance of both reducers depends entirely on the precision of their matching bearings. Industry data shows that a mid-to-high-end humanoid robot requires more than ten sets of specialized bearings just for its joints. For every grade increase in precision, the robot's motion response speed can improve by more than 30%.

Luoyang AVE: Unlocking Robot Motion Freedom with Four Core Bearings

Rooted in the Yiyang Bearing Industrial Cluster in Luoyang, AVE Precision Bearings has long targeted the technical pain points of humanoid robots, creating four major bearing series covering the core joint requirements, becoming an important force in the wave of domestic substitution.

1. Crossed Roller Bearings: The "Precision Steering Machine" for Joints

As a core component of humanoid robot joints, AVE crossed roller bearings employ a unique 90° crossed roller arrangement design. The outer ring is designed as a split structure, while the inner ring is machined as a single piece, achieving high-precision bidirectional load-bearing capacity within an ultra-thin dimension. This design allows the bearing to achieve micron-level stable rotational accuracy, maintaining long-term motion stability even in high-frequency rotating parts such as the robot's wrist and waist. Currently, this series is widely used in the rotating parts of robotic arms, perfectly meeting the stringent requirements of humanoid robots for "small space and high rigidity."
2. Gearbox Bearings: The "Stable Converter" for Power

For core power components of robots, AVE has specifically developed two major series of dedicated bearings: RV and Harmonic. The RV reducer's main bearing employs a thrust angular contact ball bearing structure. Through a combination of an integral engineering plastic retainer and precision steel balls, it achieves long-term stable operation under high impact loads, making it suitable for heavy-load joints such as the base and boom. The harmonic reducer bearing, with its preload design ensuring sufficient rigidity and a split outer ring structure eliminating the need for additional flange fixation, precisely matches the output requirements of the CSG and CSF series reducers. Both types of bearings achieve a precision level of P4 or higher, providing a "zero backlash" guarantee for power transmission.

3. Flexible Bearings: "Flexible Actuators" for Fingertips

In areas requiring delicate movements, such as the fingers and elbows of humanoid robots, the AVE FS series flexible bearings demonstrate unique advantages. These bearings transmit power through the controllable elastic deformation of the outer ring, offering a large transmission ratio and minimal backlash, enabling millimeter-level precision motion control. When robots need to grasp eggs or operate precision instruments, the smooth transmission characteristics of the flexible bearings effectively avoid force control deviations, giving the "mechanical hand" human-like sensitivity.
4. Hollow Rotary Platform Bearing: The "Central Connector" of the Robot's Body

For critical rotating parts such as the robot's waist and shoulders, high-precision positioning and convenient installation are crucial. AVE ZK series hollow rotary platform bearings offer a perfect solution. Through customized structural dimensions and positioning hole design, this bearing significantly simplifies the customer's assembly process while maintaining P4-level rotational accuracy. It can withstand radial and axial combined loads and overturning moments. When humanoid robots perform complex movements such as turning and bending, it acts as a "central joint," ensuring overall posture stability.
From Luoyang to the World: The Making of a "Hidden Champion" in Precision Manufacturing

AVE technological breakthrough is no accident. Leveraging Luoyang's strong bearing industry foundation, the company assembled a professional R&D team, stabilizing product precision levels from P2 to P5, covering a full range of sizes from 20mm to 1000mm. With stringent quality control through ISO 9001 quality management system certification and the technological capability of simultaneous R&D with OEMs, its products not only serve the domestic industrial robot sector but also withstand the test in high-end scenarios such as aerospace and precision machine tools.

At the 2025 Hangzhou Humanoid Robot Exhibition, AVE crossed roller bearings attracted attention upon their debut, becoming a typical representative of domestically produced bearings adapted for humanoid robots. Behind this lies a microcosm of China's manufacturing industry's transformation from "scale advantage" to "precision advantage"—as more and more companies like Aovit overcome core technologies, the commercialization of humanoid robots will no longer be constrained by the "bottleneck" problem of key components.

From Waseda University's WABOT-1 taking its first step in 45 seconds to Optimus smoothly completing complex tasks today, the evolution of humanoid robots is essentially a history of progress in precision manufacturing. In this wave, Luoyang AVE, with its "bearing heart," not only supports the robot's flexible body but also underpins the confidence of China's high-end manufacturing. Perhaps in the near future, when humanoid robots enter factories, homes, and rescue sites, every precise movement they make will pulsate with the "precision power" from Luoyang.