94 centimeters high, 12 kilos all wet and a disarming smile: here is Bumi, the robot who wants to shake up preconceived ideas about humanoid robotics. Launched with fanfare on the JD.com platform, more than 100 copies were sold in an hour, and the first 500 units disappeared in just two days. Not bad for the small start-up Noetix Robotics.
A humanoid that doesn’t scare the wallet
The secret of its success lies as much in its pleasant appearance as in its Price: at 9,998 yuan (the equivalent of an iPhone 17 Pro Max in China), Bumi plays in the same league as high-end smartphones or laptops. A first, in a sector where humanoid robots often cost 30 to 100 times more. However, there is no question of making him a miniature factory worker. Noetix presents Bumi as an educational and social companion, designed to interact with children and curious people. A robot made to talk, not to carry boxes.
How does Noetix manage to sell a humanoid robot at this price? By rethinking everything, from design to production. First, the company chose to manufacture everything itself, or almost everything: electronic cards, motor controllers, software… everything is homemade. Result: no supplier margins and maximum optimization between hardware and software.
Then the design was lightened. The robot uses only the necessary metal reinforcements, with a composite structure that reduces its total weight to 12 kilos. Less heavy, therefore less battery, therefore cheaper. Unstoppable logic. Finally, Noetix relies 100% on the Chinese industrial ecosystem: motors, sensors, Rockchip processors… everything is local. Enough to reduce lead times, speed up production and above all, keep a minimum price.
Bumi was designed to be cute without being disturbing. Its size, deliberately less than one meter, avoids the “robot staring at you in the dark” effect and makes it more comfortable in a living room or classroom than in a laboratory. The little humanoid integrates with JD.com’s Joy Inside 2.0 ecosystem and can be programmed by users. The idea is to make it a living and open platform rather than a fixed gadget.
Noetix plans to reach a rate of 1,000 units per month by the end of 2025, with two factories already operational in Beijing and Changzhou, and a third in the pipeline.
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