Ubtech's U1 companion robots test whether China is ready for AI intimacy

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Ubtech has launched the U1 series, its first mass-produced full-size bionic humanoid robot line, under the U World sub-brand, testing China's market for AI companion robots beyond industrial and service uses.
The U1 series includes two full-size bionic models, male-style Nix and female-style Una. According to 36Kr and OFweek, prices range from CNY119,800 (approx. US$17,600) for the U1 Lite to CNY990,000 for the male U1 Ultra, while the female U1 Ultra costs CNY880,000, making Ubtech's launch one of China's most visible attempts to commercialize AI emotional companionship through humanoid robots.
Ubtech said U1 preorders reached 13,361 units by the launch event, up from more than 5,000 after presales opened on June 2. Deliveries are scheduled to start on September 16, and executives said the company aims to ship 10,000 units in 2026 from a new Shenzhen factory.
If Ubtech meets the 10,000-unit target, U1 could become one of its most important 2026 indicators. Ubtech delivered 1,079 full-size bionic robots in 2025, while domestic rival Unitree shipped more than 550 units and turned profitable.
Even if all 10,000 deliveries were entry-level U1 Lite models, the series would generate about CNY1.2 billion, more than half of Ubtech's 2025 revenue of CNY2.0 billion. Scale could also help narrow losses after years of investment, including a CNY790 million net loss in 2025 and cumulative losses of more than CNY4.2 billion from 2022 to 2025.
Credit: Ubtech
Companion robots become delivery test
Ubtech is positioning U1 as an emotional companion robot rather than an industrial machine. Founder and CEO Zhou Jian said the company does not want to make a product narrowly defined as a sex robot, but a companion robot with complex movement, natural interaction, and richer facial expressions.
Ubtech says a companion robot must combine appearance, personality, knowledge, short- and long-term memory, and stable emotional value. U1 targets daily companionship, emotional support, lifestyle assistance, and social interaction, as well as reception, elderly care, psychological support, cultural tourism, research, education, and high-end domestic services.
JD.com product information cited in the Chinese reports shows the male U1 Pro is 183cm tall and weighs 42kg, while the female version is 168cm tall and weighs 35.2kg. The U1 series has 88 high-precision degrees of freedom, covers about 90% of basic human movements, and uses a self-developed bionic expression drive system.
Ubtech says U1 uses an emotional large model for long-term companionship, recognizing more than 20 fine-grained emotions with accuracy above 90%. It also supports cross-time memory and proactive care without a wake word.
The preorder figure has drawn attention, but conversion remains uncertain. JD.com presales reportedly require a CNY3,000 deposit that can be refunded before July 15, making actual deliveries, not reservations, the key test of U1's consumer business case.
Ubtech's Hong Kong-listed shares rose more than 7.4% on launch day to HK$102.80, signaling investor interest in a possible new consumer-facing growth line.
High price meets crowded market
The U1 launch comes as AI companion robots draw interest from robotics companies, technology groups and investors, with demand shaped by China's single-person households, ageing population and wider use of AI companionship tools.
Research cited in the Chinese reports points to a large potential market. Guotai Junan estimated companion robot demand at about CNY420 billion among elderly users and CNY500 billion among young users, using pet, pop toy, and smart wearable penetration trends as references. Tencent Research Institute has also found a willingness to use AI companionship to address unmet social needs.
Other robotics vendors are already testing the field. Unitree has mature humanoid motion-control technology, Agibot's Lingxi X2 uses an emotional computing engine for health and elderly care, and Noetix Robotics sold Xiaoyue (Model X-Head 1), a bionic robot with eye-contact interaction, through a JD.com auction for more than CNY110,000.
Global technology companies are also moving into AI companion products, often through lighter hardware. Samsung has shown Ballie and Project Luna; Apple is reportedly developing a desktop AI companion robot for 2027; and Tesla's Optimus is expected to use xAI's Grok model, already tested in companion-style software.
For Ubtech, the core question is whether a full-size bionic robot can justify a price far above mainstream consumer electronics. U1 Lite starts at CNY119,800 and U1 Ultra approaches CNY1 million, narrowing the initial market to wealthy consumers, institutions, commercial venues, and specialized service buyers.
Competition could intensify quickly if U1 proves demand exists. Larger robotics vendors could launch lower-priced tiered products, using motion-control platforms, actuator supply chains, and software partnerships to compress prices, testing Ubtech's first-mover advantage before companion humanoids become another hardware price war.
For now, Ubtech's AI companion robot case depends on execution, not the appeal of companionship alone. Delivering 10,000 U1 units this year would validate a new revenue line beyond industrial humanoid robots. Falling short would make the launch look more like a high-priced test of China's loneliness economy than a scalable consumer robotics business.
Article edited by Jack Wu

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