Chinese robot maker UBTech eyes mass production of industrial humanoids by year end
More than 60 per cent of the humanoid robots the company is planning to deliver this year will be an upcoming model, the Walker S2
Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics plans to mass produce its humanoid robots as soon as the end of this year, according to an executive, as the loss-making robot maker ramps up output amid fierce competition in China’s robotics sector.
UBTech will deliver about 500 to 1,000 units of its Walker S Series industrial humanoid robots this year to customers and partners, including car makers, Apple supplier Foxconn and logistics firm SF Express, chief brand officer Michael Tam said in an interview on the sidelines of the recent China Conference in Guangzhou hosted by the South China Morning Post.
While UBTech ultimately aims to “bring humanoid robots into every family”, industrial robots are the company’s major focus right now, according to Tam.
Factories need humanoid robots “to help them solve the challenge of the shortage of manpower”, Tam said.
Compared to homes, factories provide a simpler and more “stable” setting for humanoid robots to operate and train, as they are currently “not smart enough to be in service for human beings at home”, Tam said.
UBTech, founded in 2012 and listed in Hong Kong in 2023, is one of the largest players in China’s robotics industry. It offers a wide range of non-humanoid robotic products for applications such as cleaning, delivery and service. It launched its most advanced industrial humanoid Walker S1 in October last year.
