China Unveils Robot That Changes Its Own Batteries, Boosting Factory Automation
In a groundbreaking development, Chinese tech company UBTech has unveiled the world’s first humanoid robot capable of autonomously changing its own batteries. The announcement was made on Thursday in south China’s tech hub Shenzhen.
The robot, named Walker S2, demonstrates an impressive ability to maintain continuous operation without human intervention. In a demonstration video, Walker S2 approaches a power station, reaches to its upper back, and swaps out its depleted battery for a fresh one—all within three minutes. This hot-swappable battery system allows the robot to function indefinitely as long as charged batteries are available.
“Previously, robots were limited by their operation hours, often needing to pause for charging,” said Fan Congming, executive president of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association. “The battery-swapping technology effectively extends continuous operation time, meaning production lines don’t have to stop.”
This advancement is set to revolutionize manufacturing by reducing downtime and maintenance labor costs, thereby enhancing overall production efficiency. Since the beginning of this year, several Chinese humanoid robot companies have secured orders from automotive manufacturers, sending more robots into factories.
Xing Fan, production manager at a robot manufacturing factory in Foshan City, highlighted the shift toward smarter manufacturing processes. “Tasks such as moving, polishing, welding, and heavy lifting are repetitive and labor-intensive,” he said. “We use robots to replace human labor in these areas.”
According to a report released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China’s humanoid robot market is expected to grow from approximately 2.76 billion yuan (about $384.62 million) in 2024 to 75 billion yuan by 2029. Industry experts predict that humanoid robots will first become prevalent in manufacturing before gradually expanding into the service industry and eventually into households as prices decrease and production scales up.
This technological breakthrough not only marks a significant step in robotics but also underscores China’s growing role in leading innovation within the global tech industry.
