Latest news with #UBTech Robotics
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China bets on bots: humanoid-robot sales seen gearing up, with adoption push ‘very likely'
To spur the broader adoption of humanoid robots, China may be inclined to offer end-user subsidies as the industry rapidly evolves and the robots become more capable, according to a report by investment bank Morgan Stanley. The comments underscore a growing focus on the demand-side uptake of humanoid robotics. By comparison, most of the year-to-date government policies have focused on the supply side, such as funding for research and development, according to the report, published on Tuesday. 'We think an adoption push is very likely in China' during the second half of this year, said analysts, led by Sheng Zhong, in the report. They added that this 'could strengthen market sentiment, and there are events to watch for a tech breakthrough'. The report stressed that 'downstream adoption' would become the sector's main focus for the rest of the year, citing recent announcements of larger commercial orders. 'Robot models require a significant amount of training data to improve the success rate and efficiency,' it explained. 'The push for adoption, and the collection of data from real working scenarios, could help to form a virtuous cycle for R&D and applications.' Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics secured a 90-million-yuan (US$12.5 million) purchase from state-owned car exporter MiEE (Shanghai) Automotive Technology – by far the largest deal in the humanoid industry, according to a Friday filing on the China Tendering and Bidding Public Service Platform.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China unveils world's first humanoid robot that changes its own batteries
China's robotics industry chalked up another world first on Thursday, as a company based in Shenzhen announced it had developed a new humanoid robot that can change its own batteries. Advertisement A demonstration video released on Thursday shows the Walker S2 robot, developed by UBTech Robotics, walking over to a charging station, removing a depleted battery from its chest, inserting it into a charging dock, and then installing a fresh battery before wandering off. The feature means the robot can – in theory, at least – work non-stop 24 hours a day without human assistance, according to the company. China's humanoid robot industry has made rapid strides in recent years, with the Chinese government identifying robotics and artificial intelligence as crucial strategic industries and providing generous policy support. A Moody's report on Thursday noted that China was 'emerging as a robotics powerhouse' due to its unique ability to combine advanced AI with low-cost manufacturing. Advertisement UBTech – a Shenzhen-based company that became the first humanoid robot maker to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2023 – is among a clutch of Chinese companies racing to bring their humanoid models to the mass market.
