UBTech's Walker C Humanoid Robot Set for Tour Guide Debut at Expo 2025 Osaka

UBTech's Walker C Humanoid Robot Set for Tour Guide Debut at Expo 2025 Osaka

China's UBTech Robotics is preparing to deploy its new Walker C humanoid robot as a tour guide at the upcoming Expo 2025, scheduled to open in Osaka, Japan, on April 13, 2025. Set to interact with visitors at the south plaza of the China Pavilion, the robot offers a glimpse into how such machines might integrate into service roles.

Anticipated Capabilities

Specific details about Walker C remain limited ahead of its official unveiling. However, it is positioned as a new, compact humanoid model potentially competing with contemporaries like Unitree's G1. Based on recent UBTech demonstrations and related projects, industry watchers anticipate Walker C may feature advanced capabilities, including dexterous hands for complex manipulation and computer vision for tasks such as barcode scanning. The underlying goal appears to be showcasing progress in real-world autonomy and physical intelligence.

Building on Previous Work

Walker C likely leverages technology from UBTech's other humanoid projects. In March 2024, the company, in collaboration with the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre (X-Humanoid), introduced Tien Kung (or Tiangong) Xingzhe. This full-size humanoid stands 1.7 meters tall, can walk at speeds up to 10 km/h, and is designed for research applications. Priced at approximately $41,200, Tien Kung supports integration with lidar, Nvidia Jetson Orin processors, and five-fingered hands, suggesting a platform built for advanced sensing and computation.

AI and National Ambitions

Underpinning these robots is UBTech's AI platform, named Hui Si Kai Wu by partner X-Humanoid. This platform aims to enhance robotic autonomy, allowing machines to interpret high-level tasks, plan execution steps, and adapt to changing conditions in real-time without needing task-specific retraining. Demonstrations have shown robots performing sorting, packing, and labeling tasks autonomously.

The development of Walker C and Tien Kung aligns with China's broader strategic push in robotics and artificial general intelligence (AGI). The goal is to create capable and potentially more affordable humanoid robots that can operate effectively across various environments, positioning Chinese firms competitively against international efforts, including Tesla's Optimus program.

A Glimpse of the Future?

Debuting Walker C at Expo 2025, an event focused on visions of future living, provides a high-profile stage. Its role as a tour guide is intended to offer a tangible example of human-robot interaction in service settings. While the demonstration promises insights into the potential of humanoid robots in logistics, service, and daily life, the actual real-world performance, robustness, and effectiveness of Walker C in this dynamic public environment remain key factors to observe.