UBTech unveils U1 humanoids for companion robot market
UBTech has unveiled the U1, a line of ultra realistic humanoid robots designed for companionship and emotional support, according to Reuters. The Chinese robotics firm says the series ranges from robotic torsos to full size humanoid companions, with male and female versions and top end models priced at 990,000 yuan ($145,835).
The launch puts the UBTech U1 humanoids in a part of the market focused less on factory work and more on long term human robot interaction. Reuters said the announcement sparked discussion on Chinese social media about AI powered “cyber boyfriends” and “cyber girlfriends”.
U1 details reported
- Starting price: robotic torsos priced from 119,800 yuan (about $17,650).
- Top price: full size humanoid companions priced up to 990,000 yuan ($145,835).
- Emotion claim: UBTech said its emotional large language model can identify more than 20 human emotions with accuracy exceeding 90%.
- Orders: UBTech said it has received 13,361 orders for the U1 series and aims to complete deliveries within this year.
Realism and emotion claims lead the pitch
The company said the humanoids use expressive faces and lifelike digital skin to improve human robot interaction. UBTech also described visible pores, blood vessels and fingerprints on the full size models, exterior details aimed at making the machines read more like human companions than conventional service robots.
The emotion recognition claim should be treated as a company reported metric. The Reuters text does not describe the test set, operating conditions or third party validation behind the more than 90% figure. For operators evaluating humanoids, that leaves a gap between a launch specification and measured performance in uncontrolled environments.
UBTech sets a large China market forecast
UBTech also attached an aggressive market view to the launch. Tan Min, its chief branding officer, said China’s ultra realistic humanoid robot industry “will grow from tens of billions of yuan to trillions of yuan between 2026 and 2036,” Reuters reported.
The order figure, if it converts into deliveries this year as UBTech says it plans, would give the U1 line a large early installed base for a humanoid companion product. The report does not give production capacity, autonomy levels, battery life, mobility specifications or service terms, so the commercial signal is clearer than the technical picture.
Source: reuters.com
