Beijing’s Economic and Technological Development Zone has recently welcomed a significant advancement in robotics with the launch of UBTech’s latest humanoid robot, the Walker S1. This innovative model was officially unveiled on October 16 and is now actively participating in training exercises at BYD’s automotive factory. The Walker S1 operates alongside L4-level autonomous logistics vehicles, unmanned forklifts, industrial mobile robots, and smart manufacturing management systems. This collaboration marks a groundbreaking achievement, as it represents the world’s first industrial scenario solution where a humanoid robot works in synergy with autonomous logistics vehicles.
The Walker S1 showcases a marked improvement over its predecessor, the Walker S, featuring enhanced cognitive capabilities and agility. It is designed to address three critical challenges commonly faced in factory applications: visual positioning under varying lighting and environmental conditions, operational control algorithms for handling dynamic high loads, and joint cooling issues during prolonged high-load operations. These enhancements ensure that the Walker S1 can perform tasks reliably and efficiently in industrial settings.
Since the beginning of this year, UBTech has focused on key manufacturing sectors such as automotive and 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics), working to enhance the operational capabilities and task execution of humanoid robots. The company has entered pioneering partnerships with leading automotive manufacturers including Dongfeng Liuzhou, Geely, FAW Hongqi, FAW-Volkswagen’s Qingdao branch, and Audi FAW. Additionally, UBTech has collaborated with industry giants like Foxconn and SF Express to implement large-scale applications in typical manufacturing environments, fostering the development of a humanoid robot application ecosystem.
The deployment of the Walker S1 at BYD, a global leader in electric vehicle sales, represents a significant milestone for UBTech as it advances its humanoid robot training initiatives in factory environments. UBTech is now recognized as the only humanoid robot company collaborating with multiple automotive manufacturers. Moreover, the Walker S series has achieved the distinction of being the most widely adopted humanoid robot across various automotive factory training settings.
Building on its prior training experiences with automotive factories, UBTech has made numerous iterations to the Walker S series within just a year to fulfill the demands of industrial applications. Reports indicate that there are currently over 500 intent orders for the Walker S series from various automotive manufacturers.
