Meet Moya: The World's First "Biomimetic Robot" That Can Bend, Smile and Holds Eye Contact With Chilling Human-Like Accuracy - The Daily Galaxy
Unveiled in Shanghai in early 2026, Moya stands 1.65 metres tall, weighs 32 kilograms, and achieves a walking posture accuracy of 92 percent, according to DroidUp.
Key takeaways
- The most recent headlines on humanoid robots show a surge of activity across both hardware and software fronts.
- In early May, Figure AI released a video of two of its Helix 02 humanoids making a bed, demonstrating new capabilities such as opening doors, pushing furniture and draping clothing after a fresh round of training; the company, valued at $39 billion, remains in direct competition with Tesla’s Optimus project.
- Around the same time, Genesis AI unveiled its GENE‑26.5 “robotic brain,” a foundation model that uses a glove‑based data system to capture human‑hand movements and has already enabled a robot to solve a Rubik’s Cube and perform dexterous tasks like ice‑skating and roller‑blading; the startup, backed by investors including Eric Schmidt and Khosla Ventures, plans to launch a general‑purpose humanoid based on this technology later this year.
- In Shanghai, DroidUp introduced Moya, a 1.65‑metre, 32‑kilogram biomimetic robot that mimics human tissue movement with pneumatic muscles, achieves 92 percent walking‑posture accuracy and maintains a lifelike skin temperature, targeting institutional buyers with a commercial release slated for late 2026.
- Meanwhile, the Institute of Science Tokyo opened an unmanned lab populated by ten robots, including the Maholo LabDroid humanoid, to automate medical experiments and plans to scale the fleet to roughly 2,000 units by 2040.
Unveiled in Shanghai in early 2026, Moya stands 1.65 metres tall, weighs 32 kilograms, and achieves a walking posture accuracy of 92 percent, according to DroidUp. The company holds the robot’s body temperature between 32 and 36 degrees Celsius during interaction to reinforce physical plausibility at close range. It reproduces human micro-expressions, maintains eye contact, and does all of this without a single conventional motor joint in its limbs. DroidUp calls it the world’s first fully biomimetic embodied intelligent robot, a machine designed not just to look human but to move the way human tissue actually moves.
The Engineering Behind the Movement The broader humanoid robotics field is pulling in several directions at once. Some manufacturers keep their robots looking deliberately mechanical to avoid the uncanny valley entirely. Others optimize for physical performance, building machines that run, lift, and operate in conditions no human could sustain.
DroidUp is making a different argument: that soft robotics and biological movement accuracy are the foundation any robot needs if its primary job is working alongside people rather than replacing them in a specific task. That is a harder design target than either alternative, one that involves material science, control theory, thermal design, and facial mechanics all working together without any single element pulling attention toward itself. Future versions may pair small electric motors for high-load tasks with the pneumatic system for fine manipulation and spinal movement. At a reported starting price of around 1.2 million yuan, Moya is aimed at institutional buyers in healthcare and education. DroidUp has set a commercial release target of late 2026.
Spread the word with a share!
Share on X Send through Whatsapp Copy the link
Who is the author, Arezki Amiri?
Mentioned in this article