On Wednesday, UBTECH and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center jointly launched the Tiangong Walker (our translation), a full-size humanoid robot for research and education, priced at RMB 299,000 ($41,310). Shenzhen-based UBTECH said it is the industry’s first research-grade humanoid robot under RMB 300,000, and deliveries are expected to start in the second quarter.
Why it matters: The Tiangong Walker lowers the cost barrier for research-grade humanoid robots, making advanced robotics more accessible to universities and institutions. As China pushes for leadership in robotics, this launch strengthens its position in the global humanoid robotics race.
Details: Tiangong Walker aims to lower the entry barrier for humanoid robot applications in research and foster original technologies in embodied intelligence, according to UBTECH.
- According to the company’s announcement, Tiangong Walker stands 170 cm tall with a biomimetic torso and human-like motion control. With 20 degrees of freedom, it can run at 10 km/h and move across varied terrains such as slopes, steps, sand, and snow while resisting impact disturbances.
- UBTECH noted that in critical areas, the Tiangong Walker employs titanium alloy to reduce its overall weight. Combined with high-torque density joint modules, the robot maintains structural strength and impact resistance, making it well-suited for repeated adjustments in research settings, the company said.
- Designed to meet the diverse research needs of scientific and educational fields, the Tiangong Walker is said to feature a modular, expandable design that supports core humanoid robot components such as depth cameras, LiDAR, a NVIDIA Orin computing board, six-axis force sensors, collaborative dual-arm systems, and dexterous hands.
- For the secondary development needs of research users, the model also offers full access to motor, sensor, and motion control interfaces, along with development guides and sample code, UBTECH added. Additionally, the robot’s computing power can be expanded up to 550 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).
Context: In 2023, China’s MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) released the Guidelines for the Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots, positioning humanoid robots as a new frontier in technological competition and a key driver of economic growth. By the end of 2023, UBTECH, Jingcheng Machinery Electric, Xiaomi Robotics, Yizhuang Robotics, and seven other firms co-founded the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.
- This year, UBTECH announced the establishment of the Humanoid Robot Research Fund with an initial RMB 10 million ($1.38 million) to support global universities and research institutions for development projects.
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