Chinese company launches robots for companionship, they have silicon skin and Emotional AI
Imagine having a robot that remembers your conversations, reads your emotions and even maintains eye contact. That's exactly what Chinese robotics company UBTech is promising with its new humanoid companion, as it looks to bring AI-powered robots from factories into everyday homes.
China-based robotics company UBTech has unveiled a new humanoid robot designed not for factories, but for human companionship. Called the UWORLD U1, the robot features a human-like appearance with silicone skin, emotional artificial intelligence (AI) and on-device data storage. It has been designed to offer companionship and emotional support in homes and service settings.
The UWORLD U1 was unveiled in Shenzhen on June 30. The company said the U1 is built for daily interaction and emotional support, with potential applications ranging from elder care and education to hospitality, reception and premium home services, according to reports in Chinese media.
The UWORLD U1 is available in three variants, Lite, Pro and Ultra, with prices starting at 119,800 yuan (around Rs 14 lakh) and going up to 990,000 yuan (around Rs 1.15 crore). According to reports, UBTech said cumulative orders for the U1 series had already reached 13,361 units by the day of its launch, signalling early interest in the company's vision for consumer humanoid robots.
How does the U1 work?
Unlike traditional industrial robots built for manufacturing tasks, the U1 has been designed to interact naturally with people. It comes in male and female versions, measuring 183cm and 168cm tall respectively, and features 88 servo joints, giving it a wide range of human-like movements. The robot is covered with a silicone exterior designed to create a more lifelike appearance and improve face-to-face interaction.
One of the biggest selling points of the U1 is its emotional AI system. According to UBTech, the robot can recognise more than 20 emotional states, maintain eye contact during conversations and remember previous interactions to deliver more personalised responses over time.
The company said the emotional AI model runs locally on Rockchip's RK3588 processor, allowing the robot to process conversations and interactions without relying heavily on cloud servers. User data is stored directly on the device rather than being uploaded to the cloud.
UBTech highlights that the robot uses a three-layer privacy architecture built around local-first processing, minimal cloud dependency and user-controlled hardware protections. The approach aims to address growing concerns about privacy as AI-powered companion devices become increasingly personal.
The company also notes that the U1 is available only to adult buyers and should not be viewed as an industrial robot. Instead, it has been developed specifically for companionship and customer-facing environments where natural communication is important.
Speaking at the launch event, UBTech founder, chairman and chief executive James Zhou said the robotics industry is entering a new phase. According to Zhou, robots first replaced humans in hazardous and repetitive work, are now moving into companionship and service roles, and will eventually become intelligent partners that work closely alongside people in everyday life.
The company also introduced its broader UWORLD platform, which combines biomimetic skin technology, embodied AI hardware, operating systems, emotion-driven large language models and manufacturing technologies. UBTech said its biomimetic facial expression system keeps speech and lip movements synchronised within 20 milliseconds, while its Agent Memory OS enables long-term memory and continuous interactions. The robot can also respond proactively to its surroundings without requiring users to say a wake word.
China-based robotics company UBTech has unveiled a new humanoid robot designed not for factories, but for human companionship. Called the UWORLD U1, the robot features a human-like appearance with silicone skin, emotional artificial intelligence (AI) and on-device data storage. It has been designed to offer companionship and emotional support in homes and service settings.
The UWORLD U1 was unveiled in Shenzhen on June 30. The company said the U1 is built for daily interaction and emotional support, with potential applications ranging from elder care and education to hospitality, reception and premium home services, according to reports in Chinese media.
The UWORLD U1 is available in three variants, Lite, Pro and Ultra, with prices starting at 119,800 yuan (around Rs 14 lakh) and going up to 990,000 yuan (around Rs 1.15 crore). According to reports, UBTech said cumulative orders for the U1 series had already reached 13,361 units by the day of its launch, signalling early interest in the company's vision for consumer humanoid robots.
How does the U1 work?
Unlike traditional industrial robots built for manufacturing tasks, the U1 has been designed to interact naturally with people. It comes in male and female versions, measuring 183cm and 168cm tall respectively, and features 88 servo joints, giving it a wide range of human-like movements. The robot is covered with a silicone exterior designed to create a more lifelike appearance and improve face-to-face interaction.
One of the biggest selling points of the U1 is its emotional AI system. According to UBTech, the robot can recognise more than 20 emotional states, maintain eye contact during conversations and remember previous interactions to deliver more personalised responses over time.
The company said the emotional AI model runs locally on Rockchip's RK3588 processor, allowing the robot to process conversations and interactions without relying heavily on cloud servers. User data is stored directly on the device rather than being uploaded to the cloud.
UBTech highlights that the robot uses a three-layer privacy architecture built around local-first processing, minimal cloud dependency and user-controlled hardware protections. The approach aims to address growing concerns about privacy as AI-powered companion devices become increasingly personal.
The company also notes that the U1 is available only to adult buyers and should not be viewed as an industrial robot. Instead, it has been developed specifically for companionship and customer-facing environments where natural communication is important.
Speaking at the launch event, UBTech founder, chairman and chief executive James Zhou said the robotics industry is entering a new phase. According to Zhou, robots first replaced humans in hazardous and repetitive work, are now moving into companionship and service roles, and will eventually become intelligent partners that work closely alongside people in everyday life.
The company also introduced its broader UWORLD platform, which combines biomimetic skin technology, embodied AI hardware, operating systems, emotion-driven large language models and manufacturing technologies. UBTech said its biomimetic facial expression system keeps speech and lip movements synchronised within 20 milliseconds, while its Agent Memory OS enables long-term memory and continuous interactions. The robot can also respond proactively to its surroundings without requiring users to say a wake word.
