UBTech: the Chinese maker of the Walker S2 and Uworld U1 humanoid robots

UBTech: a Hong Kong-listed robot maker selling in two markets

UBTech is a Chinese robot maker based in Shenzhen and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the code 9880. Its humanoid range covers two separate markets. The first is industry, with the Walker S2, a full-size humanoid built for production lines and logistics. The second is the consumer market, with the Uworld U1 series, launched on 30 June 2026 under the UWorld brand.

According to KrASIA, the catalogue also includes the Walker C1, a biped aimed at commercial services, education and research. In its press release of 30 June 2026, UBTech claims to have been the world’s number one maker of full-size humanoids in 2025, by both revenue and volume. This is a company claim. The same press release states that the Walker S series has entered mass production.

UBTech financial results: growth driven by full-size humanoids

UBTech 2025 full-year results

The Shenzhen Government Online website, updated on 7 April 2026, carries a Gasgoo report on the annual results published on 31 March 2026. UBTech reported total revenue of 2.001 billion yuan for 2025, up 53.3%. The group delivered 1,079 full-size humanoids during the year. This segment brought in about 820 million yuan, or 41% of revenue.

On 6 July 2026, 36Kr reported cumulative deliveries of full-size humanoids of more than 1,000 units, around 80% of them for industrial customers.

UBTech first-half 2026 results

The interim results announcement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 28 August 2026 reports half-year revenue of RMB 1,269,130 thousand, compared with RMB 621,460 thousand a year earlier. Mainland China accounted for RMB 992,215 thousand, and Hong Kong and overseas for RMB 276,915 thousand. A single customer contributed RMB 308,543 thousand, or about 24% of group revenue. UBTech is introducing a new segment structure for its 2026 annual report.

KrASIA broke down these results on 31 August 2026: revenue of RMB 1.27 billion, up 104.2%. Full-size humanoids brought in RMB 590.3 million, compared with RMB 38.2 million a year earlier, or 46.5% of the total. The outlet reports 921 units sold (+1,946.7%), a gross margin of 44.7% and a net loss of RMB 338.8 million.

Two volume figures are circulating for the half. KrASIA gives 921 full-size humanoids sold. In early September 2026, Deep News, picked up by Gasgoo, put the figure at 16,123 humanoid units sold (+268.3%), without specifying what it covers. The two figures clearly do not refer to the same products.

UBTech share price (9880)

On 19 January 2026, the day after the Airbus order was announced, 9880 shares closed up 8.6% at HK$144.7, according to Yicai Global. According to Damo Finance, cited by 36Kr, the stock was worth HK$73.7 on 28 September 2026. The placement carried out in November 2025 was priced at HK$98.8 per share.

Walker S2: UBTech’s industrial humanoid robot

The Walker S2 was launched in July 2025 as a full-size industrial humanoid, Yicai Global reports. On 17 November 2025, UBTech announced the start of mass production and the delivery of a first batch of “several hundred” units. The stated target was 500 Walker S2 units delivered in 2025. The press release lists automotive manufacturing, smart factories, logistics and data collection centres as use cases.

UBTech’s main technical selling point is autonomous battery swapping, which takes about three minutes. The company presents the Walker S2 as the first humanoid robot able to perform this operation. The product page also mentions two software components: “Co-Agent”, an agent designed for industrial humanoids, and “BrainNet 2.0”, which lets several robots work as a swarm on a production line. Full details are on the UBTech Walker S2 page.

Walker S2 specifications

Walker S2 customers and deployments

The press release of 17 November 2025 names several partners: BYD, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor, Geely Auto, FAW-Volkswagen Qingdao, Audi FAW, BAIC New Energy, Foxconn and SF Express. On 18 January 2026, UBTech announced that Airbus had bought the industrial version of the Walker S2, Yicai Global reports. The two companies are to explore further uses in aircraft production. Yicai presents aerospace as UBTech’s fifth major application area, after automotive, consumer electronics (3C), smart logistics and semiconductors. The outlet also lists Texas Instruments, BYD, Foxconn and SF Express among Walker S2 customers. KrASIA, for its part, writes that Airbus bought “a” Walker S2 in early 2026.

According to Börse Express (5 July 2026), which relies on unnamed reports, Walker S2 units are deployed at the Fangchenggang border crossing between China and Vietnam, under an order worth more than $40 million. They reportedly direct heavy goods vehicle traffic and assist with customs checks. Industrial uses of humanoids are covered on the Industrial humanoid robot page.

UBTech orders and production capacity targets

In its November 2025 press release, UBTech put orders for the Walker series since the start of 2025 at more than 800 million yuan, or about $112 million according to the press release’s own conversion. The largest order, signed in September 2025, reached 250 million yuan. The contract for the Zigong data collection centre, the second-largest order of the year, came to 159 million yuan. Yicai Global reports a higher amount, with more than CNY 1.4 billion ($200 million) in humanoid orders in 2025. That figure covers all of the group’s humanoids over the full year.

The capacity targets have shifted. In November 2025, UBTech was aiming for annual capacity of 5,000 industrial humanoids in 2026 and 10,000 in 2027. In January 2026, Yicai Global referred to expected capacity of 10,000 units as early as 2026. In August 2026, KrASIA mentioned a production target of 10,000 full-size humanoids a year for 2026. These figures are capacity targets, not deliveries.

Uworld U1: UBTech’s consumer humanoid robot range

UBTech launched the UWORLD U1 series in Shenzhen on 30 June 2026. TechNode describes it as the group’s first full-size consumer humanoid. It comprises three models: the U1 Lite, a half-body version; the U1 Pro, a “high-performance” full-body version; and the U1 Ultra, a “highly dynamic” full-body version. The press release cites 88 degrees of freedom, a biomimetic double-pivot cervical vertebra and the ability to reproduce up to 90% of basic human movements.

On the software side, UBTech describes:

• an emotion-aware language model that recognises more than 20 emotional states with accuracy above 90%;
• a “fast and slow” architecture, with an intuitive response in 500 milliseconds;
• a voice-to-lip lag of less than 20 milliseconds;
• a memory system called “Agent Memory OS” and interaction without a wake word;
• three-layer privacy, based primarily on local processing and minimal reliance on the cloud.

The uses UBTech cites are everyday companionship, emotional support, reception and hospitality, elderly care, psychological support, tourism and exhibitions, research and education, and high-end domestic service. UBTech also plans to donate 100 customised U1 robots in 2026 to children separated from a parent, isolated elderly people and families in difficulty.

According to TechNode, more than 50 body models were shown, ranging in height from 1.60 m to 1.85 m. AI Weekly mentions a 183 cm male model and a 168 cm female model, fitted with silicone skin and, according to UBTech, a Rockchip RK3588 processor. KrASIA mentions more than 300 compound micro-expressions, a touch-sensitive electronic skin and automatic head locking when powered off. KrASIA also reports that users can export and delete their data.

Uworld U1 price: what each model does and what it costs

The official press release announces a price “from RMB 119,800“. The per-model prices come from the press, notably 36Kr (6 July 2026):

• U1 Lite, at 119,800 yuan: it turns its head, blinks and holds a conversation;
• U1 Pro, at 169,800 yuan: it sits, lies down, hugs and produces micro-expressions;
• U1 Ultra, at 990,000 yuan for the male version and 880,000 yuan for the female version: it walks on two legs, dances and follows the user around the home.

According to 36Kr, none of the three models folds laundry, cooks or sweeps. Humanoid Guide reports that a Beijing investor paid 159,800 yuan for a female U1 Pro, below the 169,800 yuan list price.

Uworld U1 pre-orders and delivery dates

According to TechNode and AI Weekly, pre-orders opened on 2 June 2026 on JD.com, with a deposit of 3,000 yuan. AI Weekly specifies that the robot is sold to Chinese households, and to adults only.

Order figures vary by source. TechNode and AI Weekly, citing founder Zhou Jian, give more than 11,000. The official press release, KrASIA and Humanoid Guide give 13,361 cumulative orders as of 30 June 2026. 36Kr reports more than 13,000 pre-orders and deposits exceeding 40 million yuan.

TechNode and Humanoid Guide had reported that the first batch would ship on 16 September 2026. On 29 September, 36Kr relayed a Damo Finance report that the official UBWorld store had pushed the first batch back to 30 November. UBTech called these reports “inaccurate”. The group says the U1 series “has already started deliveries”, in batches and in order of reservation. Also according to Damo Finance, chief financial officer Zhang Ju reportedly cut the annual delivery target to 1,500 to 2,000 units during the August results conference.

To put this market in context, KrASIA cites research firm IDC: about 18,000 humanoids were shipped worldwide in 2025, less than 0.8% of them to private homes. This segment is covered on the Domestic robot page.

Buying UBTech robots outside China

In official sources, UBTech publishes no public price for the Walker S2, and the U1 is sold through the Chinese channel JD.com. The question of buying from France is covered on the page Can you buy a UBTech robot?

What we do not know yet

• The official price of the Walker S2, which UBTech does not publish.
• The height, weight, number of degrees of freedom, hands and speed of the Walker S2: on UBTech’s website, this data appears in an illegible image.
• The exact number of Walker S2 units delivered in 2025 and 2026, and the current order book. The half-year filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange does not break down humanoid units or orders.
• The number of robots in the Airbus order and its value, and the number of Walker S2 units deployed at Fangchenggang. That deployment is based on unidentified reports.
• What the 16,123 units reported by Deep News and Gasgoo cover, compared with the 921 full-size humanoids reported by KrASIA.
• The identity of the customer accounting for about 24% of half-year revenue.
• The weight, battery life and exact dimensions of each U1 model. The official press release gives none of these figures.
• The actual date of the first U1 deliveries and the number of robots actually handed over to customers. UBTech’s statement is contradicted by Damo Finance’s reports.
• Any confirmed sale of the U1 to private buyers in France or Europe.
• After-sales service and warranty, for both the Walker S2 and the U1.

See also: the UBTech Walker S2 industrial humanoid profile; the UBTech Uworld U1 consumer series; can you buy a UBTech robot?; humanoids in industry; domestic robots; UBTech unveils the Uworld U1 from 119,800 yuan.