China’s Dobot unveils $27,500 humanoid robot that can cook breakfast

Atom, humanoid robot developed by Chinese company Dobot. Photo courtesy of Dobot Robotics

In a promotional video titled "Rise and Shine with Atom, Your New Breakfast Buddy!" released last week, the robot is seen at a kitchen counter, using its long, flexible arms to arrange ham, sausages, toast, and vegetables on a plate.

It even picks up a cherry by the stem, noting that such thin stems "won’t trouble me."

Atom then pours a glass of milk and lifts the tray before saying: "All done! A nutritious breakfast sets the tone for a perfect day."

The Shenzhen-based Dobot described Atom as the world’s first humanoid robot with both dexterous five-finger hands and a straight-knee gait, according to the South China Morning Post.

Standing at 1.53 meters, Atom can navigate tight spaces and operate at bench heights of 70-100 centimeters with 28 degrees of freedom and movement precision of 0.05 mm.

Powered by an AI system called Robot Operator Model-1, Atom can autonomously adapt to its surroundings and features computing power on par with a modern gaming graphics card, according to Futurism.

Its straight-knee gait also reduces energy consumption by 42% compared to traditional bipedal robots, the company said.

Priced at 199,000 yuan (US$27,500), Atom is available for pre-order, and mass production is expected to start in mid-2025.

Founded in 2015, Dobot initially focused on robotic arms but has recently expanded into humanoid robotics. Atom is its first humanoid model and enters a growing field in China, where numerous startups are racing to develop next-generation humanoid technologies.