Shanghai just hosted perhaps the world’s largest ever gathering of humanoid robots.
WAIC 2025 (World Artificial Intelligence Conference) featured more than 150 fake humans with 60 distinct models, from more than 80 companies. The futuristic display comes amid an intensifying technological arms race with the West.
As the Trump White House dismantles regulatory barriers and rejects international oversight, the Chinese government is proposing a global alliance to control AI. In the rush toward super intelligence, Beijing wants the Global South to train next-gen machines on its terms, not Silicon Valley’s. China’s message is clear: If you don’t trust Washington, come to Shanghai.
The People’s Republic is treating humanoids as a core pillar of its national AI strategy, setting out to own the global market by 2027. They view robots, like the ones on display in China’s most populous city, as the future of everything.
The following are the biggest developments emerging from the event.
KEENON Robotics’ X-MAN F1
Shanghai’s own KEENON Robotics debuted its first bipedal service humanoid robot named the X-MAN F1. KEENON featured the new humanoid as its centerpiece for its Embodied Service Experience Hub during the conference.
X-MAN humanoids served mixed drinks and popcorn to attendees, while KEENON demonstrated its new humanoid’s closed-loop integration with its other autonomous robots. KEENON also showcased its wheeled X-MAN humanoids and its broader suite of multi-form service bots. The company has shipped more than 100,000 mobile robots and currently leads the global commercial service robotics market.
The X-MAN F1’s pricing hasn’t been revealed publicly, but KEENON sells its other service robots starting around $13,000. The new biped’s pricing is likely substantially higher.
DroidUp’s Industrial and Hyper-Realistic Humanoids
Another Shanghai-based robotics company, DroidUp, went viral during the show with its hyper-realistic androids. The company’s synthetic humans feature lifelike silicone skin and rich expression simulation capabilities.
DroidUp launched its Walker 02 humanoid robot heading into the conference. The lightweight robot, which stands about 170 cm tall and weighs just 30 kg, is reportedly being tested for scenarios like public security patrols and factory worker training.
Fourier’s GR-3
The local robotics firm Fourier brought its next-generation humanoid companion robot with emotional intelligence capabilities.
Its Gen 3 flagship humanoid is a dramatic departure from its predecessors, at least one of which was seen directing traffic in Shanghai. Standing 134 cm (4’5″) Fourier’s GR-3 is intended for use in homes, schools, hospitals, and public spaces.
Fourier, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, released a CGI teaser video showing a friendly looking robot with a warm cream-colored exterior, rounded body, and expressive eyes. The company also shared footage from its lab hinting that there’s a desktop variant with a possible upgrade path to bipedal.
AgiBot and Damon Team Up
Another local firm, the rising startup AgiBot, brought its range of humanoids and apparently a robotic dog.
During the conference, AgiBot and Damon Technology, a leading Chinese logistics automation firm, announced they’re launching what they call the industry’s first humanoid robot logistics training and data collection facility. They said their goal is to move logistics systems from mechanical execution to next-generation machines that make autonomous decisions.
Unitree’s Boxing G1s
Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics brought its combat trained G1 humanoid robots for live boxing.
Viral clips circulating on social media show Unitree’s short humanoids battling each other in the ring, remotely controlled by operators. They delivered punches, kicks, and dodges while maintaining balance. The G1’s moves, like straight punches and hip rotation kicks, are powered by motion-capture-based training and reinforcement learning.
The G1 robot, standing 127 cm (4’2″), has soared in popularity over the past year thanks to its relatively low entry price of $16,000.
Unitree generated significant buzz heading into the conference, unveiling its next-generation humanoid robot priced under $6,000. The ultralight R1 robot, which is about the same height as Unitree’s original short king, went viral with demo footage showcasing its kickboxing and athletic capabilities.
According to Unitree, the standard edition of the R1 boasts 26 degrees of freedom (DoF) and is powered by a quick-release battery with a one-hour duration. A higher-end model version includes extended developer features like optional dexterous hands with force feedback, an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module, and secondary development support via an SDK.
MagicLab’s Z1 Publlic Debut
The success of Unitree’s G1 launch inspired a plethora of short humanoids for research and development, including MagicLab’s Z1, which made its public debut during the Shanghai event.
The Wuxi-based startup, officially known as Magic Atom Robotics Technology, brought its full lineup of AI-powered machines including its full-sized MagicBot humanoids, its robotic dogs, and its Magic Hand S01, which features 11 DoF. They demonstrated multi-robot collaboration, human-like dexterous manipulation, and dynamic movements.
PNDBotics’ Adam-U
PNDbotics brought the latest iteration of its flagship humanoid robot Adam, which recently rocked the stage playing keytar during China’s VoyageX festival.
The startup used the event to launch its new solution, developed in partnership with the Beijing-based companies Noitom Robotics and Inspire Robots, for collecting and analyzing motion data using its Adam U humanoid platform.
The Adam-U robot is a half humanoid built specifically for data collection and manipulation training. It has 31 DoF, including two in its head. It also features dexterous hands with 6 DoF each. The full package combines Noitom’s PNLink suit for capturing body motions and Inspire’s robotic hand tech. Preorders are already open, and units in stock are priced around $45,000 dollars each.
Shenzhen’s Cyborg R01
Shenzhen-based Cyborg Robotics brought its first heavy-duty industrial humanoid, the Cyborg R01.
The full-sized bipedal humanoid boasts 62 DoF and dexterous hands with 16 DoF each. Its lifting capacity with both arms is 20 kg (44 lbs).
The startup says it’s developing the humanoid for high-risk, high-load industrial environments.
Kuavo Automates Logistics
Another rising Shenzhen firm, Leju Robot, debuted its material sorting automation tech during the spectacle.
The company’s flagship humanoid, Kuavo, is a full-sized bipedal robot designed for applications across logistics and manufacturing. It’s powered by Huawei’s Pangu large language model for embodied intelligence, supporting voice commands and autonomous task execution.
Leju reported 250 orders for the robot earlier in 2025, exceeding half-year targets.
More Humanoids
For a comprehensive rundown of the other humanoids to watch out for in 2025, watch this.