In a groundbreaking moment for robotics, Chinese company UBTech has unveiled the Walker S2—the world’s first humanoid robot that can autonomously swap its own batteries—at a tech hub in south China’s Shenzhen. 🤖
This innovative robot features a hot-swappable autonomous battery replacement system that lets it change batteries in just three minutes, keeping production lines running without any human intervention. No more downtime for charging—the Walker S2 is built to work continuously as long as fresh power packs are available!
In captivating footage, the Walker S2 marches up to a power station, extends its arms to remove a depleted battery pack from its upper back, and swiftly inserts a brand new one before returning to the assembly line. As Fan Congming, executive president of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, explained, "Previously, robots only lasted about four hours on a charge. With this battery-swapping technology, robots can operate nonstop, ensuring that production lines never have to pause."
The impact of this breakthrough extends beyond just continuous operation. Industry experts predict that automation in manufacturing is set for a major leap forward. At the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, a report revealed that China’s humanoid robot market was valued at approximately 2.76 billion yuan in 2024 and could soar to 75 billion yuan by 2029.
Xing Fan, production manager at a robot manufacturing facility in Foshan City, added, "Companies are moving towards smarter manufacturing. Robots are now handling repetitive, labor-intensive tasks like moving, polishing, welding, and quality inspections, which boosts efficiency while cutting labor costs."
As supportive policies continue to drive innovation, the Walker S2 and similar technologies are poised to transform not only production lines but eventually the service industry and even households, marking an exciting new chapter in the era of automation.
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China unveils first humanoid robot that can change its own batteries
cgtn.com
