UBTech Wins Major Deal for Humanoid Robot Deployment at China-Vietnam Border
- tech360.tv
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
UBTech Robotics, one of China’s top robot manufacturers, announced it secured a significant contract to deploy humanoids at border crossings. This initiative is part of the country’s intensified efforts to apply robotics in real-world settings. The deal, valued at USD 37 million, was struck with a humanoid robot centre in Fangchenggang.
Fangchenggang is a coastal city located in the southern autonomous region of Guangxi, which shares a border with Vietnam. The project will feature the industrial-grade Walker S2, a model launched in July. This robot is billed as the world’s first humanoid robot capable of replacing its own battery.
The pilot initiative will see humanoid robots deployed at borders to assist with traveller guidance, personnel flow management, patrols, logistics operations, and commercial services. The robots will also conduct inspections at manufacturing sites for steel, copper, and aluminium. Deliveries are expected to commence in Dec.
UBTech reported cumulative orders for the Walker series, which started shipping this month, total Yuan 1.1 billion so far. The company aims to deliver 500 industrial humanoid robots by year-end. Production is planned to increase tenfold by next year, targeting 10,000 units by 2027.
Chief Branding Officer Michael Tam stated the company also aims to reduce manufacturing costs. UBTech’s shares fell less than 1% to HKD 110.60 following the announcement of a share placement plan. This plan aims to raise HKD 3.11 billion (USD 399.6 million) in Hong Kong.
The deployment reflects a broader national trend in China’s robotics industry, which is racing to commercialise embodied artificial intelligence. This push is supported by government policies. Government agencies across provinces are increasingly incorporating robots into their daily operations, alongside enterprise clients.
The immigration department of eastern China’s Zhejiang province highlighted its adoption of humanoids and four-legged robots in July. These included machines from Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics. The agency noted these machines could perform repetitive, tedious daily duties to help save manpower.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport has deployed a similar robot to handle routine tasks such as answering passenger inquiries. Immigration authorities also deployed a multilingual robot, developed by Beijing-based iBen Intelligence, during this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin.
Shenzhen Customs integrated leading AI start-up DeepSeek’s large language model into an inspection robot earlier this year. This robot is designed to identify and verify cargo information. Police patrol robots have also been observed on the streets of Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
These robots are frequently showcased in Chinese media as symbols of the nation’s growing embodied intelligence industry. They also represent China’s commitment to advancing "new quality productive forces."
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a list of members for its national humanoid robotics committee. Chief Engineer Xie Shaofeng leads this regulator. Unitree Founder Wang Xingxing, AgiBot Co-founder Peng Zhihui, UBTech Technology Chief Xiong Youjun, and Chief Scientist Jiang Lei were appointed as vice-directors. Jiang is from Shanghai’s National and Local Co-built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Centre.
UBTech Robotics secured a USD 37 million deal to deploy humanoid robots at China-Vietnam border crossings.
The initiative features the Walker S2, a humanoid robot capable of self-replacing its battery.
Robots will assist with traveller guidance, logistics, patrols, and inspections at industrial sites.
Source: SCMP
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