UBTech’s lifelike humanoid robots built for companionship arriving in homes across China

UBTech Robotics, the world’s first publicly traded humanoid robot maker, has launched a consumer humanoid designed for personal companionship, featuring lifelike silicone skin and emotional artificial intelligence, as Chinese tech firms increasingly transition robots from the factory floor to the family living room.

The U1, unveiled on Tuesday in Shenzhen, comes in male and female versions, standing 183cm and 168cm tall, respectively.

The model is available in Lite, Pro and Ultra variants, priced from 119,800 yuan (US$17,650) to 990,000 yuan.

It features 88 servo joints, a silicone exterior and an emotional AI model running locally on Rockchip’s RK3588 processor. User data is stored on the device rather than uploaded to the cloud.

Unlike most humanoid robots designed for industrial use, the U1 is intended for interaction with users in domestic settings.

“The robot can hold conversations, maintain eye contact with users, and is available for sale only to adults,” according to staff at the launch event.

The launch comes as Hong Kong-listed UBTech and other humanoid robot developers continue to expand their industrial robotics businesses while exploring new consumer applications.

Tesla is developing Optimus for manufacturing environments, while Figure AI has focused on warehouse operations through partnerships with enterprise customers. Chinese companies including Unitree Robotics and AgiBot have also prioritised factory deployments as they scale production.

Household environments differ significantly from industrial settings. Furniture layouts vary, objects are frequently moved, and robots are expected to operate safely around children, older people and pets while performing a broad range of tasks.

Jiao Jichao, vice-president of UBTech and head of its Embodied Intelligence and Humanoid Robotics Research Institute, said reproducing human facial expressions at scale remained one of the company’s biggest engineering challenges, requiring thousands of components in the robot’s head as well as AI models that synchronised speech with facial movements.

“One of the biggest challenges was making the robot look and behave naturally after fitting complex mechanical systems into a human-sized body, as well as ensuring its facial expressions matched speech and emotion and that it could deliver consistent performance at scale,” Jiao said.

According to UBTech’s flagship store on JD.com, the U1 had already drawn more than 1 million page views since pre-orders opened. The robot is currently available for pre-order, with deposits accepted through July 15.

UBTech founder and CEO Zhou Jian said orders for the U1 had surpassed 13,000 at the launch.

Pre-orders require a 3,000 yuan (US$442) deposit, though this does not commit consumers to buy.

Compared with industrial robots, consumer models face stricter requirements for appearance, privacy protection and long-term human interaction.

Even so, companies are increasingly preparing for a consumer market.

Zhou said the company was now capable of mass-producing full-sized humanoid robots, adding that he expected robots to become the primary interface for interacting with AI in the future.

Morgan Stanley recently raised its forecast for China’s humanoid robot shipments in 2026 to 50,000 units from an earlier estimate of 28,000. The bank said it expected annual shipments to reach 446,000 units by 2030 as production scaled up and new applications emerged.

Industrial deployments continue to account for most commercial humanoid robot applications in China. Companies, including UBTech, are now beginning to introduce products aimed at the consumer market alongside their industrial robotics businesses. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST