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UBTech, the world's first publicly listed humanoid robot company, unveiled the U1 on Tuesday in Shenzhen.
The robot is available in male and female versions. The male model stands 183 centimeters tall and weighs 42 kilograms, while the female version is 168 centimeters tall and weighs 35.2 kilograms. Prices range from 119,800 yuan (US$17,647) to 990,000 yuan, according to China Daily.
Designed primarily as a personal companion, the U1 has 88 degrees of freedom, allowing it to perform human-like movements and facial expressions, including blinking, maintaining eye contact, smiling and tilting its head. It also synchronizes facial movements with speech to make interactions appear more natural.
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UBTech's U1 humanoid robots. Photo from X |
The launch reflects a broader shift in the humanoid robotics industry, with companies expanding beyond factories and warehouses into consumer markets. Unlike industrial settings, homes present more complex environments, where robots must safely navigate changing furniture layouts and operate around children, older adults and pets while carrying out a wide range of tasks.
Jiao Jichao, UBTech's vice president and head of its Embodied Intelligence and Humanoid Robotics Research Institute, told the South China Morning Post that reproducing human facial expressions at scale had been one of the company's greatest engineering challenges. He said the robot's head contains thousands of components, supported by AI models that synchronize speech with facial movements.
UBTech founder and CEO Zhou Jian said emotional interaction and large-scale production remain the industry's biggest challenges.
"These robots need to follow people's eyes, interpret their words and moods, and respond with warm interactions that lift people's spirits," Zhou said at the launch ceremony on Tuesday. "Meanwhile, producing human-like robots that cater to diverse tastes and emotional needs, while maintaining consistent quality for mass delivery, presents a big challenge for manufacturing."
The Shenzhen-based company said it has received more than 13,000 orders for the U1 since its launch, despite plans to produce just over 10,000 units this year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin on Sept. 16.
