Chinese Company UBTECH Launches First Humanoid Robot That Changes Its Own Battery

The Chinese company UBTECH launched the world’s first humanoid robot capable of autonomously swapping its own battery on Thursday. The model, Walker S2, uses its arms to replace a depleted battery without any human assistance.

According to South China Morning Post, UBTECH, a robotics firm based in Shenzhen, introduced this new capability for its robot Walker S2, demonstrating how the machine can change its battery with minimal supervision when power is low.

In a video, UBTECH shows Walker S2 approaching a battery station, removing the battery from its back with its hands, and replacing it with a fully charged one.

“Imagine a humanoid robot that walks as you do… and never stops working,” wrote the company on the YouTube video description. “The World’s First Humanoid Robot Capable of Autonomous Battery Swapping. Meet UBTECH New Generation of Industrial Humanoid Robot.”

UBTECH highlighted the robot’s features, including anthropomorphic bipedal locomotion, an autonomous hot-swappable battery system, and the ability to perform 24/7 continuous operations thanks to its self-managed battery swapping.

According to LiveScience, Walker S2 is similar in size to a small adult. The robot measures 162 centimeters—5 feet 3 inches—and weighs 43 kilograms—95 pounds—, and operates on a dual 48-volt lithium battery system. It can remain standing for up to 4 hours and walk continuously for 2 hours. The batteries can be fully recharged in 90 minutes.

The robot can detect low battery levels and autonomously decide the optimal time to replace its battery, depending on its current tasks. It has been designed for a range of use cases, particularly in factory environments.

In January, UBTech announced its plans to deliver between 500 and 1,000 units of its industrial humanoid robot, Walker S, to its customers. The company supplies robots to various industries, including car manufacturers, Foxconn, and logistics giant SF Express.