Global D Report: Chinese 'Emotional Robot' Receives 13,300 Pre-orders Despite Price Tag Up to 220 Million Won

Fifty humanoid robots, each with different facial features, hairstyles, and heights, appear in a line.

Among them are a male-type robot standing 183 centimeters tall and weighing 42 kilograms, and a female-type robot standing 168 centimeters tall and weighing 35 kilograms.

The skin is made of elastic silicone, and the hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were meticulously implanted.

This is the U1, an emotional humanoid robot unveiled by the Chinese robotics company Unitech.

The company explained that the robot can interact with humans, replicate 30 subtle facial expressions, understand human speech, and provide natural responses.

They added that it is capable of natural movement, as it is composed of 88 sensors and joints.

The company's CEO stated that the development of robots will progress from replacing high-risk, repetitive labor to providing daily companion services, and ultimately to a stage of deep integration between humans and robots.

The U1 is intended to be an emotional humanoid robot that can share feelings with humans during that process.

The robot comes in three models—Lite, Pro, and Ultra—ranging from 120,000 yuan to 990,000 yuan, which is approximately 27 million won to 220 million won in Korean currency.

Despite the steep price, it is reported that 13,300 units have already been pre-ordered.

Deliveries are scheduled to take place from September through the end of this year.

However, unlike the pre-released promotional videos where the robots displayed near-human expressions and natural movements, some evaluations from the scene noted that the robots' movements were unnatural and their appearance felt more like wax figures.

Reported by Han Sang-woo | Video by Kim Ho-jin | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.