New Delhi: They look ultra-realistic, have lifelike skin, and can talk. But most importantly, they offer companionship and emotional support. These are the new humanoid robots launched by Chinese company UBTech Robotics.
The robotics maker introduced its U1 series of robots at a launch event in Shenzhen, China, on 30 June. With the booking already open, those looking for a human-like ‘partner’ can bring home a robotic torso or a full-fledged humanoid robot.
The robots come in both male and female variants, and can perform human-like functions — such as holding conversations with users and making eye contact. However, the manufacturer has restricted the sale to only adults, a staff at the launch event told South China Morning Post.
The humanoids, which can do over 90 per cent of basic human movements, are powered by an emotional large language model, which, UBTech said in a statement, is designed for long-term companionship. The AI model helps the humanoid identify more than 20 human emotions with significant accuracy.
The company has also paid attention to detail to make the robot appear more human, with visible blood vessels, fingerprints, and pores on the silicone skin.
“One of the biggest challenges was making the robot look and behave naturally after fitting complex mechanical systems into a human-sized body, as well as ensuring its facial expressions matched speech and emotion and that it could deliver consistent performance at scale,” Jiao Jichao, vice-president of UBTech and head of its Embodied Intelligence and Humanoid Robotics Research Institute, told SCMP.
The robot has been made available in three variants — Lite, Pro, and Ultra — with the high-spec version priced at 990,000 yuan ($137,000). The male variant is 183 cm tall and weighs 42 kg while the female ‘companion’ is slightly smaller at 168 cm and 35.2 kg, reported Global Times, citing a press release.
Over 13,000 U1 series robots have already been booked and UBTech plans to deliver them before 2027, reported Reuters.
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‘Companion that will never betray’
While the humanoids fascinated many at the launch and on social media, they have also sparked a discussion on how such ‘companions’ can affect real-life relationships.
“We may be willing to spend hundreds of thousands — or even close to a million — to buy a ‘perfect companion’ that can recognize more than 20 emotions and remains endlessly gentle and compliant. Yet in real-life relationships, we often want to walk away at the first sign of friction,” a user wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo, according to Global Times.
Another user said on Xiaohongshu that a “companion that will never betray you or abandon you is worth the price”.