NetEase Lingdong shows embodied AI controlling remote industrial machines from afar

At the 2026 World AI Conference, NetEase's Lingdong brand, which focuses on construction machinery, brought a 'smart cockpit' to the expo. Workers can remotely control real power plants and port equipment from thousands of miles away, showing how embodied AI is being used in dangerous places.

Lingdong uses its own industrial AI model and training system to create two main robots: 'Lingzai' for loading and 'Lingjue' for digging. These machines have worked in over 100 projects across more than 10 provinces, completing over 700,000 safe operations. In a power plant in Zhejiang, Lingzai works 24/7 to supply coal and can handle emergencies remotely. At a port, the cleaning robot works fully on its own.

In a coal mine in Inner Mongolia, Lingjue works at 80% of the speed of a skilled human and needs no help 70% of the time. Lingdong also runs 'human-machine' and 'dark factory' setups. At a construction site in Jiaxing, the robot handles 98.4% of tasks with over 97% success. One operator can manage multiple machines, boosting efficiency by 120% and cutting energy use by 15%.