Chinese Robot Maker Unitree Skyrockets 460% on Market Debut After Unveiling High-Speed Humanoid

[Anchor]

China's leading robotics company, Unitree, surged a staggering 460% on its first day of trading. Amid scorching investment fever, some 50 other Chinese robotics firms are lining up for initial public offerings, signaling even fiercer technological competition ahead.

Han Sang-woo reports from Beijing.

[Reporter]

A robot the size of an adult man leaps a full two meters straight up from a standing position and lands steadily.

This is the new humanoid robot called "Superman" unveiled by Unitree, a Chinese robotics firm that went public today (August 19).

According to the company, the robot's maximum 100-meter dash speed is 45.58 kilometers per hour, faster than world record holder Usain Bolt.

The robot is scheduled to participate in the World Humanoid Robot Games opening in Beijing on August 22. Robots from some 300 companies are set to engage in fierce competition across 32 events, including track and field, soccer, and gymnastics.

[Zhou Yingjun / Head of Development, Shenzhen Honor: We have installed stopwatches to monitor the robots' reaction times. We have been working hard to increase the maximum speed of the robots, and our goal is to break the human world record.]

Unitree, considered one of China's premier robotics firms, saw its share price skyrocket right from its market debut.

The initial public offering price was 150.8 yuan per share, or approximately 31,215 Korean won. At one point in early trading, it soared by 699% to 1,100 yuan, or about 227,700 Korean won.

It closed the day up 460% at 845 yuan, or 175,000 Korean won, pushing its market capitalization to 70.5 trillion Korean won.

Founder Wang Xingxing, who holds a stake of over 31%, saw the value of his shares instantly exceed 22 trillion Korean won based on the closing price, making him the wealthiest person born in the 1990s.

Amid intense investment enthusiasm for robotics companies, around 50 other Chinese robot makers are queuing up for public listings.

(Video by Choi Deok-hyun | Video Editing by Kim Byeong-jik | Graphics by Ryu Sang-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.