Japan's NSK Ltd. and Tokyo-based humanoid startup Atom Co. said on August 20, 2026 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop and deploy domestically produced humanoid AI robots, combining NSK's precision-component manufacturing with Atom's physical-AI models.
Two-Track Cooperation
Under the MoU, NSK's humanoid-grade actuators will be installed in Atom's bipedal robots for joint performance verification. Insights from real-machine evaluation will feed back into NSK's product development to accelerate performance improvements and address mass-production challenges for the domestic actuators. In parallel, the two companies will use NSK's manufacturing sites in Japan as a stage for Atom's humanoids to collect physical-AI training data drawn from live production environments.
Domestic Supply Chain For Humanoids
Executives on both sides framed the tie-up as a response to Japan's dependence on overseas components for humanoid platforms. NSK President Akitoshi Ichii said humanoids are "an area where the true value of the precision technology cultivated by Japan's manufacturing industry can be demonstrated," pointing to the tribology know-how developed through the company's bearing and ball-screw businesses. Atom founder and CEO Shunsuke Aoki said the deal combines NSK's precision-component leadership with Atom's foundation-model work to "realize domestically the world's highest-quality humanoids."
Racing With China And The U.S.
The move lands as competitors in China and the United States scale humanoid production. Figure 03 has passed 1,000 units, AgiBot sits at 15,000 cumulative and Chinese vendors filled the halls of the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing. Japanese suppliers argue that mass-produced humanoid actuators will be as strategic as EV batteries were in the previous decade. NSK, ranked third globally in bearings and a leader in ball screws and electric power steering, plans to seed the effort with actuators derived from its automotive electrification lineup. Atom, founded in November 2025, builds a dual-arm bipedal machine paired with an in-house physical-AI foundation model, and has set a corporate goal of lifting Japan's GDP by one percentage point.
The partnership follows a wider Japanese push into embodied AI: see our coverage of the RoboScience REX G1 wheeled humanoid, Vbot's ATOM humanoid pre-orders at WRC 2026, and Generalist AI's GEN-1.5 one-shot foundation model.
Reporting based on coverage from NSK, kikai-news.net and IBTimes Japan.