China Now Testing World’s First Home Humanoid Robot

China has successfully launched the first home humanoid robot.

The robots developed by UniX AI, a Chinese robotics company, are designed to perform daily household chores like cooking, cleaning rooms, waking the household, and organising items.

Standing at approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 176kg, the robot runs for roughly 8 to 16 hours once charged. It is built on a wheeled omnidirectional base that allows it to move efficiently inside homes, apartments, and service environments, while carrying out multi-step tasks.

The robot has a perception system with dual RGB and RGB-D cameras, an optional 3D LiDAR, and a six-microphone circular array for voice interaction. At the same time, its eight-degree-of-freedom bionic arms can lift up to 26 pounds and extend up to a meter, with 0.5 millimetres of repeatability for precise object handling.

It can also perform multiple-step tasks rather than single actions, such as picking up items, placing them in storage, cleaning surfaces, and interacting with appliances. It can also prepare breakfast and clean up afterwards.

While its use in the home indicates interest and need for AI-powered devices, there is still a long way to go before domestic robots become widely adopted.

Before they become mainstream consumer products, household robots, experts say, have to overcome the complex environment of homes that are often cluttered, have varied lighting conditions, and hold objects of varying shapes and textures, which makes automation more different than in factories or warehouses.

Tasks such as handling soft materials like clothes, navigating tight spaces, and interacting with different household appliances remain technically challenging. Likewise, battery life, cost, safety, and long-term reliability will play major roles in determining whether they become widely adopted.

Conversely, the deployment of these robots capable of performing multiple household tasks suggests that the concept of a home robot managing daily chores is getting closer to reality.