UBTech Expands Global Footprint With Airbus Humanoid Robotics Deal
Chinese humanoid robotics developer UBTech Robotics has signed an agreement to supply humanoid robots to European aviation giant Airbus, marking a significant step in the company’s push to expand industrial robot deployments beyond China.
Under the partnership, Airbus has purchased UBTech’s Walker S2 humanoid robot as part of a joint effort to explore robotics applications within aviation manufacturing. The collaboration will focus on evaluating how humanoid robots can support tasks on the factory floor, particularly in complex, human-centric production environments.
The Airbus deal follows a similar partnership announced last month with U.S. semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments, where Walker S2 robots have already been deployed and tested on production lines. Together, the agreements underscore UBTech’s accelerating overseas expansion strategy, targeting manufacturing sectors including aviation, semiconductors, automotive, and consumer electronics.
Introduced in July last year, the Walker S2 stands approximately 1.76 meters tall and is designed for industrial environments. The humanoid robot features dexterous arms and hands, a vision system for environmental perception, and the company’s self-developed “Co-Agent” artificial intelligence system. It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 15 kilograms and includes what UBTech describes as a world-first autonomous battery-swapping system, enabling near-continuous operation in smart factories.
Since its launch, Walker S2 has been adopted by major manufacturers such as Chinese automaker BYD and global electronics manufacturer Foxconn, broadening its use across multiple industrial domains. According to state media reports, UBTech had produced 1,000 Walker S2 units at its Liuzhou factory in southern Guangxi province as of late December.
The rapid rollout of Walker S2 and the growing list of international customers highlight China’s broader ambition to secure an early lead in humanoid robotics through fast commercial deployment and large-scale manufacturing. UBTech was founded in 2012 in Shenzhen and became the first Chinese humanoid robotics company to list publicly in Hong Kong at the end of 2023.
The company reported humanoid robot orders totaling 1.4 billion yuan (approximately US$201 million) last year and has said it expects to ship “tens of thousands” of industrial humanoid robots this year. Following news of the Airbus partnership, UBTech shares rose 6.76 percent to HK$142.20 in mid-day trading on Monday.
