UBTECH Launches UWORLD U1 Humanoid Robot Companions Built to Listen, Remember, and Move Naturally

Shenzhen hosted the June 30 event where UBTECH introduced its UWORLD U1 series to the world. The company presented these full-size machines as the first humanoid robots of their kind built for mass production and everyday consumer use rather than factory work alone.

Designers went to great measures to make the robots appear realistic by giving them silicone skin with all the proper characteristics, such as pores, veins, and fingerprints. Guys stand 183cm tall and weigh 42kg, while girls are slightly smaller at 168cm and 35.2kg. Despite their realistic sizes, they do not appear overly large or out of place in a household environment, which has to be a significant plus.

Engineers were able to fit 88 degrees of freedom into each bot utilizing servo joints and a clever proprietary neck design, allowing the robots to mimic human movements much more effortlessly. They can sit, lean, lie back, and give a gentle hug. Everything you would expect a human to do. In early displays, it was really fascinating to see robots dancing with their human partners, because the flawless transitions between upper body and leg movements made them appear to be in sync.


Of course, all that great technology would be useless without some serious software to back it up. So UBTECH went to considerable pains to create an emotion-aware language model that can detect a wide range of subtle clues, including facial emotions, body posture, voice tone, and even how you speak in different contexts. In tests, it detected approximately 20 different emotional states with an accuracy of more than 90%. The system is divided into two parts: a super fast local response that provides answers in less than 500 milliseconds and a deeper level of reasoning that kicks in when more thoughtful responses are required. To make it all feel more natural, the lip movements are perfectly in sync with the speech, so there is no lag that can disrupt the flow of conversation.


When it comes to memory, the robot records all of its interactions in encrypted form on a local device, similar to an agent-based operating system that gradually accumulates a picture of your everyday routines and preferences. The majority of the processing occurs on the device itself, with a Rockchip RK3588 chip doing the most of the work, but there are three layers of privacy protection built in to ensure your data remains secure. It’s quite fantastic stuff. The best aspect is that you don’t need to wake it up with a specific word; simply start chatting and it will begin reacting, as well as maintaining eye contact. The battery life is also good, with 2 to 4 hours of vigorous use on a single charge. If you want to take things to the next level, you may connect it to the internet and gain access to more complex capabilities.


As you’d imagine, there are several variants to choose from, so you may find one that fits your budget and needs. The Lite model is the basic level, focusing solely on the upper body, and it is reasonably priced at 119,800 RMB ($17,632). The Pro model up the ante to a full body, allowing you to move around more, whereas the Ultra model is the top of the line, with dynamic movement, tons of more power, and a plethora of customizing possibilities. That one costs a whopping 990,000 RMB ($145,707) for the males and 880,000 RMB ($129,517) for the females. You can pre-order it today with a 3,000 RMB ($441) deposit, and more than 13,000 individuals have done so since pre-orders began. It’s important to note that sales are only available to those above the age of 18. UBTECH hopes to start shipping the robots later in 2026.