Are these new Chinese humanoid robots too human to tell apart?

Whatever the concerns, the U1 illustrates the lightning speed at which China is developing its humanoid robotics industry. By 2025, more than 140 Chinese companies are expected to have introduced over 330 models of humanoid robots. Meanwhile, UBTech has already announced more than 13,300 pre-orders, with the first deliveries scheduled for September. As for the price tag, the base “Lite” model will set you back 119,800 yuan—roughly $16,500, depending on the exchange rate.

One question remains: are we really ready to entrust our most intimate emotions to an embodied artificial intelligence? The answer, it seems, is just around the corner.

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Home News Are these new Chinese humanoid robots too human to tell apart?

Category: Technology

August 4, 2026

3 min

The U1 robots developed by UBTech resemble real human beings.

The U1 robots developed by UBTech resemble real human beings. © AP, ChatGPT

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Futura Team ## The birth of a new companion: meet U1

Developed by UWorld, a UBTech brand, the U1 model is billed as the first full-size humanoid robot that genuinely resembles a real person. The company is focusing primarily on two groups: singles and seniors over 60, representing an eye-watering 120 million and 320 million consumers in China, respectively. Basically, that’s a whole lot of potential lonely hearts looking for someone—well, or something—to talk to.

Technically, the U1 lands somewhere between a smart speaker and a social android. Its conversational AI is designed for continuous interaction with its owner, listening to their woes and gradually learning all about them. Think of it as Siri or Alexa, except with puppy-dog eyes and the ability to actually read the room.