Renault Calvin is an industry-first humanoid robot that’s already helping build cars
The tyre-hauling exoskeleton is working on the Renault Douai factory supply line, and will be joined by 350 headless brothers
Nissan had the Cedric saloon, and now Renault has the Calvin – which stole the show at the group’s 2026 strategy day despite four new car reveals.
Calvin is a humanoid robot, developed by French robotics firm Wandercraft, that’s already doing shifts on the Douai factory supply line. It’s hauling tyres for electric cars such as the Scenic and Renault 5, heavy and cumbersome work for humans but a breeze for a machine.
He’ll be joined by another 350 fellow humanoids over the next 18 months, as Renault experiments with AI-trained exoskeletons that understand their environment, navigate it autonomously and select different parts, says industrial boss Thierry Charvet. He also sees a potential use in the highly automated bodyshop where chassis sections and panels are fabricated.
“I’m not interested in having a humanoid robot, but having efficient and low cost automation devices,” says the supply chain chief. The exoskeleton design is more flexible and stable than a robot on wheels, but their biggest flaw is their cumbersome movements.
“There are no robots replacing people on the final assembly line, where you put all the parts in the car, because [they lack] speed and dexterity,” says Charvet.
Calvin-40, to use its full name, is the second iteration of the humanoid. The first was deployed in April 2025, but with AI-training, Wandercraft doubled the machine’s speed in six months. Renault sees potential in its industrial application: it’s taken a stake in the robotics company.
The French car maker is looking to reduce production costs by 20 per cent over the next five years, as it seeks to slash downtime and energy consumption - not that Calvin’s crew will contribute greatly to that second objective.
Will robots take human jobs?
All this does raise the spectre of AI-enabled mechanisation replacing people. “Yes, we are changing,” explained Renault Group CEO Francois Provost. “We share this transparently with our unions, because it is a good way to proceed step-by-step, avoiding sudden big cuts in workforces. This is our way.”
Renault also pointed out that it slashed its industrial base by 1.2million units under the previous Renaulution plan, and says the outlook for its factories is stable out to 2030.
Renault claims Calvin’s implementation is an industry first, with CEO Provost saying: “Lots of companies are using humanoids for a display at the Consumer Electronics Show, we like to put them on the line.”
Although Calvin might get decommissioned after his demonstration upstaged the boss and his fellow board members during the FutureReady strategy presentation.
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