China's UBTech launches AI-powered lifelike companion robots

BEIJING, July 2 (Reuters) - Chinese ‌robotics firm ​UBTech ​has unveiled a new line of ultra-realistic humanoid robots it says are designed for companionship ‌and emotional support, powered by an AI system capable ⁠of recognising and responding to a wide range of human emotions.

The ‌launch on Tuesday has ‌sparked discussion on Chinese social media about the potential rise of AI-powered "cyber boyfriends" and "cyber girlfriends". The robots are ​available in both male and female versions, with top-end models priced at up to 990,000 yuan ($145,835).

• The ⁠U1 product line ranges from robotic torsos priced at 119,800 yuan to full-sized ​humanoid companions featuring highly realistic details such as visible pores, blood vessels and fingerprints.

• The robots ​are equipped with an emotional ‌large language model UBTech said in a statement was designed for long-term companionship. It said ⁠the system can identify more than 20 human emotions with an accuracy rate exceeding 90%.

• The humanoids feature expressive faces ⁠and lifelike digital skin intended to enhance human-robot interaction.

• UBTech said it ​has received 13,361 orders for the U1 series and aims to complete deliveries within this year.

• The company expects China's market ‌for ultra-realistic humanoid robots to expand dramatically over the next decade. The industry "will grow from ‌tens of billions of yuan to trillions of yuan ⁠between 2026 and 2036," Tan ‌Min, UBTech's chief ​branding officer, said.

($1 = 6.7885 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Laurie Chen; Editing by Emelia ‌Sithole-Matarise)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• SoftBank's Son says AI will need $5 trillion per year by 2040, dismisses bubble talk
• US government rescinds $10 billion freeze for 5 states governed by Democrats
• Analysis-Inside South Korea's world-beating bear market