UBTECH Walker S2
TMTPOST — Humanoid robots are poised to transform industries by first tackling repetitive and complex tasks in manufacturing before expanding into commercial and household roles, said Zhou Jian, founder and CEO of UBTECH Robotics, at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing.
He emphasized that the future of humanoid robotics lies in evolving from individual machines to intelligent collaborative systems, enabling large-scale, efficient deployment across diverse real-world scenarios.
UBTECH, China’s pioneering humanoid robot stock listed on the Hong Kong Exchange, is introducing its Walker S2 industrial humanoid robot, designed specifically for intelligent manufacturing scenarios. Equipped with advanced Co-Agent intelligent agent technology, dexterous hands, bionic arms, and autonomous battery swapping, Walker S2 is set to redefine industrial automation.
At a recent financial briefing, Zhou emphasized UBTECH’s ambitious targets: producing approximately 1,000 humanoid robots in 2025 for deployment in real customer environments to gather critical data, with plans to scale production to 5,000–10,000 units next year.
“Humanoid robots will evolve from ‘individual intelligence’ to ‘collective intelligence,’” Zhou said, underscoring UBTECH’s innovative Swarm Intelligence Network 2.0 and Industrial Co-Agent system that enable multi-robot collaboration via a hybrid “cloud brain + onboard intelligence” model. This architecture allows dozens of robots to work in sync with low latency, optimizing factory operations.
Zhou outlined three primary application pathways for humanoid robots: industrial settings for repetitive and complex tasks, commercial environments designed for ergonomic human interaction, and eventually household scenarios offering companionship and continuous communication. He stressed the industrial sector as the immediate focus for large-scale adoption within the next two to three years, with commercial and domestic applications following thereafter.
Jiao Jichao, UBTECH’s Vice President and Research Head, highlighted the company’s rapid product iteration—from Walker S1 to Walker S2 in just nine months—with improvements including autonomous hot-swappable batteries, enhanced degrees of freedom enabling agility in confined spaces, lighter weight using composite materials, and faster gait speeds matching human efficiency at 50% capacity.
China’s booming robotics industry is accelerating rapidly, with first-half 2025 growth rates of 35.6% in industrial robots and 25.5% in service robots. Over 100,000 new robotics companies emerged in the first half alone—a 45% increase year-over-year. Fourier Intelligence CEO Gu Jie observed that humanoid robot development has accelerated by three to five times over the past year.
UBTECH recently secured a RMB 90.5 million contract from MiYi Automotive Technology, one of the largest commercial orders for humanoid robots globally. The company’s market capitalization topped HK$46 billion as of August 7.
Zhou noted that China’s vast and diverse manufacturing landscape provides ideal testbeds for humanoid robots, generating invaluable data for AI training. “More than 80% of key robotic components worldwide are sourced from China, positioning the country at the heart of the humanoid robot industry,” he added.
Looking ahead, UBTECH is developing an emotionally supportive humanoid robot targeting consumer markets, with internal testing described as “stunning” and drawing interest from international players. The company’s 2024 R&D spend is projected at RMB 478 million, representing 36.6% of revenue.
According to Citi forecasts, the global humanoid robot market could reach $7 trillion by 2050, with nearly 650 million units in operation worldwide. A 2024 report by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology anticipates China’s general-purpose humanoid robot market will hit RMB 500 billion to 1 trillion between 2040 and 2045.
As Zhou concluded, “Our mission is to help humans offload repetitive, tedious tasks through robotics, beginning with industrial deployment and expanding into everyday life, ultimately transforming how society works and interacts.”
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