CtrlK
| Kuavo-MY | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Manufacturer | Leju Robotics |
| Country of origin | China |
| Year unveiled | 2024 |
| Status | In production |
| Height | 1,470 mm (4 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 45 kg (99 lb) |
| Degrees of freedom | 26 |
| Max walking speed | 4.6 km/h (1.28 m/s) |
| Payload capacity | 3 kg |
| Operating system | KaihongOS (OpenHarmony-based) |
| Price | ~$50,000 USD |
| Website | lejurobot.com |
The Kuavo-MY is a compact humanoid robot developed by Leju Robotics (officially Leju Intelligence (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.), a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shenzhen. Positioned as an open development platform for embodied AI, the Kuavo-MY targets researchers, educators, and developers who need access to a full-size bipedal humanoid at a more accessible price point than industrial-grade alternatives. The "MY" in the name stands for "Make Yours," reflecting the platform's emphasis on customization and secondary development.[1][2]
Standing 1,470 mm tall and weighing 45 kg, the Kuavo-MY is smaller and lighter than its industrial sibling, the Kuavo-5, which stands 1,680 mm tall and weighs 55 kg. While the Kuavo-5 was designed for factory floors and home service with 40 degrees of freedom and modular end effectors, the Kuavo-MY prioritizes openness, affordability, and developer accessibility with 26 degrees of freedom and a comprehensive software toolkit. Both models share the same lineage of self-developed high-torque joints and run on Huawei's KaihongOS operating system.[3][4]
The Kuavo-MY was showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona as part of a joint demonstration with China Mobile and Huawei, marking it as the world's first humanoid robot equipped with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) connectivity. The robot has since been deployed in commercial exhibition halls, schools, art galleries, and research laboratories across China and is available internationally through distribution partners.[5]
Leju Robotics was founded in 2016 by Leng Xiaokun, a PhD graduate of the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). The founding team came from HIT's Intelligent Robotics Research Center, where Leng serves as associate director. The company was initially established in Harbin with approximately 2 million yuan in personal investment before formally incorporating in Shenzhen in 2016. Leju maintains branch offices in Harbin and Hangzhou.[6]
The company's core technology includes proprietary torque servos and self-stabilizing bipedal gait algorithms. Over 90% of the Kuavo series components are domestically produced in China. Leju positions itself as a "leader in the industrialization of humanoid robots," focusing on bridging the gap between research prototypes and commercially viable humanoid platforms.
Leju's earlier products established the company's reputation in robotics before the Kuavo series. The AELOS educational humanoid robot, launched in August 2016, gained international attention in February 2018 when it appeared during the "Beijing 8 Minutes" segment at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The company also developed the PANDO series of palm-sized coding robots, the ROBAN medium bipedal robot, and the Fluvo series of hospital logistics robots.[7]
In October 2025, Leju secured a 1.5 billion RMB (approximately $207 million) pre-IPO funding round led by Greenwoods Asset Management, earmarked for mass production and technological advancement of the Kuavo humanoid robot line. The company counts Tencent Holdings and the state-owned Shenzhen Capital Group among its early backers. In early 2026, Leju rebranded as Leju Intelligence (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., signaling a strategic shift ahead of a planned initial public offering.[8][9]
The Kuavo name is an alternative romanization of "Kuafu," a giant from Chinese mythology known for chasing the sun. The original Kuavo was unveiled in December 2023 as a high-dynamic humanoid robot featuring robust construction, dynamic mobility, dexterous hands, and intelligent perception. It debuted publicly at the Appliance and Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai in March 2024 and appeared at Huawei's HDC 2024 developer conference in June 2024 as the first humanoid robot to run on Huawei's HarmonyOS-derived platform.[10]
Iterative improvements led to the Kuavo 3.0, which specified 360 N.m peak torque joints and 4.6 km/h omnidirectional walking. The Kuavo-MY was released as a smaller, more affordable open-platform variant, followed by the Kuavo-5 in November 2025 as the most industrially focused model, incorporating modular design principles, dual locomotion (bipedal and wheeled), and extended battery life for sustained commercial operation.
The series now spans three primary configurations:
| Model | Target market | Height | Weight | DOF | Max payload | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuavo-MY | Research, education, commercial service | 1,470 mm | 45 kg | 26 | 3 kg | ~$50,000 |
| Kuavo-5 | Industrial manufacturing, home service | 1,680 mm | 55 kg | 40 | 20 kg | ~$38,000 |
| Kuavo-5W | Industrial logistics, warehouses | 1,680 mm | Not disclosed | 40 (upper body) | 20 kg | Not disclosed |
The Kuavo-MY occupies a distinct niche. Despite its higher price tag compared to the Kuavo-5, it provides an open development environment that justifies the premium for institutions focused on research and software development rather than industrial deployment.[11]
The Kuavo-MY stands approximately 1,470 mm (4 ft 10 in) tall and weighs 45 kg (99 lb). Its proportions approximate those of a teenager or small adult, allowing it to operate in human-scale environments while remaining manageable for laboratory handling. The frame is designed to balance structural rigidity with weight efficiency for sustained bipedal locomotion.
The robot features 26 total degrees of freedom: 14 in the arms and 12 in the legs. Each joint is powered by Leju's self-developed high-torque electric actuators with precision reducers, delivering up to 360 N.m of peak torque at a rated speed of 150 rpm. These specifications enable the Kuavo-MY to perform dynamic movements including omnidirectional walking, terrain adaptation, and continuous jumping with a clearance of more than 20 cm.[12]
| Category | Parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Height | 1,470 mm (4 ft 10 in) |
| Physical | Weight | 45 kg (99 lb) |
| Mobility | Total degrees of freedom | 26 |
| Mobility | Arm DOF | 14 (7 per arm) |
| Mobility | Leg DOF | 12 (6 per leg) |
| Mobility | Max walking speed | 4.6 km/h (2.86 mph) omnidirectional |
| Mobility | Jumping height | >20 cm continuous |
| Mobility | Terrain capability | Sand, grass, obstacles, uneven surfaces |
| Actuation | Peak joint torque | 360 N.m |
| Actuation | Rated joint speed | 150 rpm |
| Actuation | Actuator type | Self-developed high-torque electric joints |
| Manipulation | Payload capacity | 3 kg |
| Sensors | Vision | Stereo depth camera, RGB cameras |
| Sensors | Navigation | LiDAR |
| Sensors | Inertial | IMU, gyroscope, accelerometer |
| Sensors | Haptic | Force/torque sensors, joint encoders |
| Sensors | Audio | 6-microphone array |
| Connectivity | Wireless | Wi-Fi (2.4/5 GHz), 5G-A (optional) |
| Connectivity | Wired | HDMI, USB 3.0 |
| Software | Operating system | KaihongOS (OpenHarmony-based) |
| Software | AI integration | Huawei Pangu model, LLM compatible |
| Software | Control framework | Open-source motion controller (MPC + WBC) |
The Kuavo-MY is equipped with a multimodal sensor suite for environment perception and autonomous navigation. A stereo depth camera provides 3D spatial mapping and obstacle detection, while standard RGB cameras handle visual recognition tasks. A LiDAR unit enables radar-based environmental awareness and supports Visual SLAM for autonomous path planning.
An inertial measurement unit (IMU), gyroscope, and accelerometer provide balance and orientation data critical for bipedal stability. Force/torque sensors and joint encoders at key joints enable load monitoring, compliant manipulation, and precise position feedback. A six-microphone array supports voice interaction and auditory perception, allowing the robot to respond to spoken commands and locate sound sources in its environment.[13]
The Kuavo-MY runs on KaihongOS, an operating system derived from Huawei's OpenHarmony open-source platform. KaihongOS provides real-time control capabilities, AI processing, and multimodal sensor fusion. The integration with Huawei's ecosystem extends to the Pangu AI model, which provides embodied intelligence for adaptive behavior, task planning, and environmental understanding.
The software stack is built around an open-source motion controller that implements Model Predictive Control (MPC) for trajectory planning and Whole Body Control (WBC) for motion execution. This transparency allows developers to understand, modify, and extend the control stack rather than treating it as a proprietary black box. The controller handles gait generation, feedback control, and state estimation, supporting multiple movement modes including stance, walking, trotting, and jumping.[14]
Leju provides a Python SDK (kuavo-humanoid-sdk) and C++ SDK for arm motor control, giving developers flexibility in their choice of programming language. The platform supports ROS (Robot Operating System) Noetic integration, with an open-source ROS repository on GitHub containing configuration interfaces, control nodes, and simulation support. Developers can modify robot parameters through JSON configuration files and environment variables.[15]
The Kuavo platform integrates with three major physics simulation environments:
| Simulator | Use case |
|---|---|
| MuJoCo | Primary simulation environment for motion control research |
| Gazebo | Alternative simulation for ROS-integrated development |
| Isaac Sim | NVIDIA's simulation platform for GPU-accelerated training |
Docker containers with pre-built images are available for standardized development environments, including GPU acceleration support. This simulation infrastructure allows researchers to develop and test control algorithms in virtual environments before deploying them on the physical robot, reducing development time and hardware risk.[16]
The Kuavo-MY supports multiple control input methods:
A half-body mode allows developers to control only the upper body (arms and head) while disabling lower limb locomotion, useful for manipulation research scenarios where bipedal walking is not required.[17]
The Kuavo-MY supports configurable end effectors through its modular arm design. Available options include:
End effector selection is configurable through the kuavo.json configuration file, allowing users to switch between options without hardware modifications to the arm structure.[18]
The Kuavo-MY is also available as the XTRON KUAVO-MY, a variant distributed internationally by Foxtech Robotics (formally Huixinghai Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.). The XTRON variant is marketed specifically as a research platform and comes in enhanced configurations compared to the standard Kuavo-MY.
The XTRON version offers two size options:
| Parameter | XTRON Standard | XTRON Large |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 1,500 mm | 1,660 mm |
| Weight | 50 kg | 55 kg |
| Total DOF | 30 | 30 |
| Arm DOF per side | 7 | 7 |
| Leg DOF per side | 7 | 7 |
| Arm span | 1,770 mm | 2,148 mm |
The XTRON variant increases the total degrees of freedom from the standard model's 26 to 30, with 7 DOF per arm and 7 DOF per leg, providing enhanced capability for advanced research in locomotion and manipulation. It features stereo vision, advanced motion control, and terrain adaptability. The XTRON model designation is KUAVO-MY-4 and ships with a mechanical gripper as standard equipment.[19][20]
Foxtech Robotics positions the XTRON KUAVO-MY for applications including smart cargo handling, AI research, motion control studies, and exhibition guidance. The variant has been deployed as a guide robot at an AI and Robotics Art Exhibition organized by the Scientist-Art Collaborative Laboratory, where it led visitors through six interactive installations under the theme "The Deduction of Questions."[21]
The Kuavo-MY was designed for customer-facing commercial environments. In shopping centers and exhibition halls, the robot serves as an intelligent guide, answering visitor queries, providing product information, and offering directional guidance. Its bipedal locomotion allows it to navigate spaces designed for humans, while its AI-powered natural language capabilities enable real-time conversational interaction with the public.[22]
Kuavo robots have been deployed in educational settings in China. In 2025, footage from Chinese media showed a Kuavo humanoid teaching young children about artificial intelligence at a school in Mianyang, Sichuan province. The robot used an educational AI system called "Little Bee" to deliver interactive lessons, answering student questions and guiding classroom discussions in real time. This deployment demonstrated the platform's ability to serve as an engaging educational tool beyond traditional screen-based AI interactions.[23]
On March 6, 2025, China Mobile, Huawei, and Leju Robotics jointly unveiled the Kuavo at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona as the world's first humanoid robot equipped with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology. The 5G-A connectivity enables several capabilities that standard Wi-Fi cannot match:
During the demonstration, the Kuavo performed automated cooking tasks using Huawei Cloud's Pangu embodied agent framework to understand its environment, process natural language commands, plan tasks, and execute them with dual-arm coordination.[5][24]
On November 3, 2025, a Kuavo humanoid robot served as the ceremonial "Zero Torchbearer" during the torch relay for China's 15th National Games, held simultaneously across Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The robot gripped a 1.6-kilogram torch and completed approximately 100 meters of the relay in Shenzhen, executing a handover between relay legs.
The demonstration was a collaboration between Leju, China Mobile, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI). Operators directed the robot's movements in real time from a remote control room using live video feedback via 5G-A connectivity. The robot's running posture was described by observers as steady and natural, with the technical success relying on dynamic motion control algorithms optimized for running with a load, load-bearing stability while carrying the torch, and real-time low-latency remote control.[25][26]
Leju's official website describes the Kuavo-MY as "an embodied intelligence development platform, providing motion control algorithms, simulation platforms, and a complete set of development tools and controllers." The platform supports behavior digitization and rapid dataset collection for efficient development of application cases. Its open-source ROS stack on GitHub, combined with simulation support for MuJoCo, Gazebo, and Isaac Sim, makes it suitable for university research groups working on reinforcement learning, imitation learning, locomotion control, and manipulation.
The Kuavo data challenge, hosted on Leju's GitHub repository, provides structured datasets and benchmarks for researchers developing machine learning algorithms on the Kuavo platform, combining the Lerobot framework with Kuavo-specific data formats for training and evaluation.[27]
On March 29, 2026, a fully automated production line for humanoid robots began operations in Foshan, Guangdong Province. The facility, jointly developed by Guangdong Dongfang Precision Science and Technology Co., Ltd. and Leju, is capable of assembling one humanoid robot approximately every 30 minutes, translating to an annual capacity of about 10,000 units. The factory incorporates 24 digitalized precision assembly processes, 77 inspection checkpoints, and 41 simulated work-condition tests per robot, improving efficiency by more than 50% compared to conventional manufacturing systems. The production line can switch between different Kuavo models without halting operations.[28]
Leju delivered its 100th full-size humanoid robot in 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, the company received 250 orders for Kuavo robots, surpassing its target for the first half of the year.[29]
The standard Kuavo-MY is priced at approximately $50,000 USD, positioning it as a mid-range option in the humanoid robot market. This price point is higher than the Kuavo-5's estimated $38,000, reflecting the Kuavo-MY's specialized role as a developer-oriented platform with open software tools and comprehensive documentation. The XTRON variant distributed by Foxtech Robotics may carry different pricing depending on configuration and region.
The Kuavo-MY is available in multiple international markets. Leju's official website provides international sales channels, and the XTRON variant through Foxtech Robotics extends distribution to research institutions and commercial buyers outside China. The robot has been deployed in China, and listings indicate availability in the United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.[30]
The Kuavo-MY competes in a rapidly growing segment of developer-accessible humanoid robots. Several companies offer platforms targeting researchers and educational institutions at various price points.
| Robot | Manufacturer | Height | DOF | Price | Key differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuavo-MY | Leju Robotics | 1,470 mm | 26 | ~$50,000 | Open platform, Huawei ecosystem, 5G-A |
| G1 | Unitree Robotics | 1,270 mm | 23-45 | $16,000+ | Low cost, large community |
| Unitree H1 | Unitree Robotics | 1,800 mm | 19 | ~$90,000 | Full-size research, high speed |
| GR-2 | Fourier Intelligence | 1,750 mm | 53 | Not disclosed | High DOF, rehabilitation focus |
| NAO | SoftBank Robotics | 574 mm | 25 | ~$9,000 | Small form, education standard |
| Digit | Agility Robotics | 1,753 mm | 16+ | Not disclosed | Logistics, Amazon deployment |
The Kuavo-MY's primary competitor in the compact developer humanoid space is Unitree's G1, which offers a significantly lower entry price starting at $16,000 for the base model but reaches $43,000 or more in its higher-DOF educational configurations. The G1 benefits from Unitree's larger production volumes (approximately 5,500 units shipped in 2025) and broader community ecosystem. The Kuavo-MY differentiates through its integration with the Huawei software ecosystem (KaihongOS, Pangu model), higher joint torque (360 N.m versus the G1's 120 N.m), and optional 5G-A connectivity for industrial applications.[31][32]
Compared to legacy educational robots like SoftBank's NAO, the Kuavo-MY offers a dramatically more capable platform at a higher price, providing full-size bipedal locomotion across real-world terrain rather than the tabletop-scale operation that smaller robots are limited to.
The broader Chinese humanoid robot market saw explosive growth in 2025, with Chinese companies accounting for nearly 90% of global humanoid robot shipments. The Chinese government has committed nearly $140 billion in investments for robotics and high-tech sectors, with humanoid robots explicitly prioritized as a strategic technology. This policy environment provides significant tailwinds for all Chinese humanoid companies, including Leju.[33]