The widespread application of industrial robots can not only improve the production efficiency of the manufacturing industry and promote industrial upgrading, but also promote the upgrading of the regional industrial structure by improving the level of human capital, increasing the demand for the service industry, and creating jobs in the tertiary industry. Based on the panel data of 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2016, the analysis shows that the increase in the installation density and stock density of industrial robots have a significant positive impact on the advanced level of urban industrial structure, and can promote the upgrading of urban industrial structure through the effect of human capital improvement, service industry demand effect and job creation effect. Moreover, the application of industrial robots has regional, time and urban heterogeneity in promoting the upgrading of urban industrial structure. The promotion effect on the eastern region is more obvious than the central and western regions, and the promotion effect after 2013 is more significant. The impact on high-skill labor-intensive cities is greater than that on low-skill labor-intensive cities. It is necessary to continue to vigorously support and develop the robotics industry, promote the application of industrial robots, especially in the central and western regions of industrial robots, actively promote vocational education and skill training, continuously improve the labor skills of the labor force, and promote the virtuous cycle of industrial robot application and human capital improvement.