Foreign Media: Chinese Consumers Welcome First Humanoid Companions, Household Functions Temporarily "Absent"
As consumer-grade humanoid robots from Shenzhen-based UBTech, a Chinese robotics company, gradually enter users' homes, Chinese buyers are forming their first impressions of these new products. Song Mr., a 39-year-old investor from Beijing, spent 159,800 RMB (approximately 23,680 USD) to purchase a female version of the U1 Pro companion robot. He admitted that the robot cannot cook or mop the floor, and his purchase was primarily driven by an interest in cutting-edge technology. "The most enjoyable part is waiting for delivery."
Previously, humanoid robots were largely confined to structured environments such as factory assembly lines. Now, Chinese robotics companies are beginning to explore bringing robots into family living rooms, which raises higher demands on robots’ ability to handle complex and variable home environments and achieve natural human-machine interaction. UBTech is one of the earliest Chinese manufacturers attempting this transition: since the U1 series began pre-sales in early June, it has received 13,361 orders as of June 30, with the first deliveries scheduled to begin on September 16.
The series includes three models—Lite, Pro, and Ultra—ranging from torso-sized to full-body humanoid figures, priced between 119,800 RMB and 990,000 RMB, primarily focused on emotional companionship, featuring expressive interactions, voice communication, and AI-powered dialogue capabilities.
Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1872395348072460/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.