UBTECH Walker C
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Last reviewed
Apr 26, 2026
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The UBTECH Walker C is a full-sized bipedal humanoid robot developed by UBTECH Robotics, a Shenzhen-based robotics company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (9880.HK). Designed for commercial service environments such as exhibition halls, office lobbies, museums, and transportation hubs, Walker C is positioned as UBTECH's dedicated reception and guided-tour humanoid. Standing 163 cm tall and weighing 43 kg, the robot features 20 degrees of freedom, autonomous navigation via UBTECH's proprietary U-SLAM system, and multilingual interaction powered by the company's Embodied Interactive Large Model.
Walker C made its highest-profile public debut in April 2025, when it served as the first embodied artificial intelligence "Tour Guide" at the China Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The deployment continued UBTECH's tradition of showcasing Walker-series robots at World Expos, following the Walker X's appearance at the China Pavilion during Expo 2020 in Dubai.[1][2]
UBTECH Robotics was founded in March 2012 by Zhou Jian (also known as James Zhou) in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The company specializes in humanoid robots, educational robots, and commercial service robots. Early in its history, Zhou identified servo motor technology as the critical bottleneck preventing humanoid robots from becoming practical and affordable. This focus on proprietary servo actuators became the foundation of UBTECH's hardware platform.[3]
The company raised approximately US$820 million in a Series C funding round led by Tencent in May 2018, which valued it at roughly US$5 billion. On December 29, 2023, UBTECH became the first humanoid robot company to complete an initial public offering, listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and raising approximately HK$1 billion (roughly US$130 million). As of late 2025, the company holds more than 2,790 robotics and AI-related patents and has sold over 760,000 robots across more than 50 countries.[4][5]
The Walker C belongs to UBTECH's Walker family, a lineage of bipedal humanoid robots that has evolved significantly since its debut in 2018. The original Walker was unveiled at CES 2018 as what UBTECH described as the "world's first bipedal intelligent humanoid robot for consumers." That initial version consisted primarily of a pair of walking legs without arms, standing approximately 1.2 meters tall. It could walk, kick a soccer ball, and navigate stairs. At CES 2019, UBTECH revealed a dramatically upgraded Walker that added a torso, two arms with dexterous hands, and a head, transforming it into a full humanoid form.[6][7]
Subsequent iterations diversified the Walker line into distinct product segments. Walker X (2021) targeted research and advanced service applications with 41 degrees of freedom. The Walker S (2023) pivoted toward industrial manufacturing, deploying on automotive assembly lines at NIO, BYD, and other factories. Walker S1 (2024) and Walker S2 (2025) further refined the industrial platform, with the S2 introducing autonomous battery swapping and 52 degrees of freedom for continuous factory operation.[8]
Walker C, introduced around 2024, represents a different branch of the family tree. Rather than pursuing the heavy-payload, high-degree-of-freedom approach of the industrial S series, Walker C was designed from the ground up for commercial service roles where natural human interaction and approachable aesthetics take priority over manipulation strength.
Walker C stands 163 cm (5 feet 4 inches) tall and weighs 43 kg (approximately 95 pounds), making it close to the stature of an average adult. This human-scale height was a deliberate design choice, allowing the robot to make eye-level contact with most visitors it guides. The robot's 20 degrees of freedom are distributed across its legs, arms, and upper body, providing fluid motion suitable for walking, gesturing, and pointing during tours and presentations.[9]
Each arm has a wingspan of 500 mm and a carrying capacity of 5 kg, sufficient for light delivery tasks such as carrying brochures, small packages, or welcome items. While this is considerably less than the 15 kg payload of the industrial Walker S1, the design reflects Walker C's service-oriented role, where physical dexterity matters less than social presence and communication ability.[10]
Walker C can walk and jog at speeds up to 6 km/h (approximately 3.7 mph or 1.67 m/s). The robot features whole-body motion control that enables stable bipedal locomotion on flat and gently sloped surfaces, with the ability to handle slight inclines and navigate around obstacles. UBTECH emphasizes the robot's "high-dynamic motion control" as a core capability, enabling it to perform choreographed routines, expressive gestures, and smooth transitions between standing, walking, and turning.[11]
The robot's obstacle avoidance system uses a combination of depth cameras and computer vision algorithms to detect and respond to dynamic obstacles in real time. This is essential for deployment in crowded commercial spaces such as shopping malls and exhibition halls, where the robot must safely navigate among unpredictable foot traffic.
Walker C carries a comprehensive perception system designed for indoor navigation and human-robot interaction.
| Sensor Type | Quantity | Function |
|---|---|---|
| RGB-D cameras | 2 | Color imaging with depth data for person recognition, tracking, and environment mapping |
| Structured-light 3D cameras | 2 | Near-field depth sensing for precise obstacle detection and spatial awareness |
| High-precision IMU | 1 | Inertial measurement for balance control, orientation tracking, and motion stabilization |
| Force sensors | Multiple | Safe physical interaction and collision detection |
| Ultrasonic sensors | Multiple | Close-range obstacle detection as a safety backup |
The dual RGB-D modules and dual structured-light 3D cameras form a binocular vision system that provides robust depth perception across a range of lighting conditions. UBTECH describes this as an "all-scenario binocular" configuration, intended to function reliably in bright exhibition halls, dimly lit corridors, and outdoor pavilion settings alike.[12]
Walker C is powered by a 48V, 15Ah lithium-ion battery pack with an estimated capacity of approximately 720 Wh. The battery provides approximately 2 hours of continuous walking operation and up to 4 hours of standing or stationary interaction. Charging takes approximately 1.5 hours from empty to full. Average power consumption during operation is estimated at 100 to 150 watts, with peak draw reaching approximately 300 watts during demanding maneuvers.[13]
| Power Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Battery type | Lithium-ion |
| Voltage | 48V |
| Capacity | 15 Ah (~720 Wh) |
| Walking runtime | ~2 hours |
| Standing runtime | ~4 hours |
| Charging time | ~1.5 hours |
| Average power draw | 100-150 W |
| Peak power draw | ~300 W |
The robot supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for data exchange, remote monitoring, and cloud-based AI services. UBTECH provides open joint control interfaces and communication interfaces, allowing system integrators to customize Walker C's behavior for specific venue requirements. A touchscreen panel on the robot's body provides an additional input method for visitors and operators.[14]
At the core of Walker C's intelligence is UBTECH's self-developed Embodied Interactive Large Model, a proprietary large language model system designed specifically for embodied robotic interaction. This AI system enables Walker C to conduct natural multilingual dialogue, answer visitor questions in context, deliver scripted tour narratives, and adapt its responses based on the specific exhibits or facilities it is guiding visitors through.[15]
The Embodied Interactive Large Model goes beyond text-based conversation. It integrates language understanding with the robot's physical actions, allowing Walker C to coordinate speech with gestures, pointing, head movements, and body orientation. For example, when describing an exhibit, the robot can turn toward the object, point at it, and deliver commentary simultaneously, creating a more engaging and intuitive tour experience.
Walker C uses UBTECH's proprietary U-SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) navigation system for autonomous indoor positioning and path planning. U-SLAM combines data from the robot's RGB-D cameras, structured-light 3D cameras, and IMU to build and maintain a real-time map of its environment. The system enables Walker C to localize itself within a mapped venue, plan efficient routes between points of interest, and dynamically reroute around obstacles or crowds.[16]
U-SLAM has been a core technology across UBTECH's product lineup since the introduction of the Cruzr commercial service robot in 2017. The version deployed on Walker C incorporates improvements refined through years of real-world deployment in commercial environments.
Walker C supports multiple interaction modalities.
This multimodal approach makes the robot accessible to visitors who speak different languages or who may be unfamiliar with voice-activated systems.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 43 kg (95 lb) |
| Degrees of freedom | 20 |
| Maximum speed | 6 km/h (3.7 mph) |
| Arm wingspan | 500 mm |
| Arm payload | 5 kg per arm |
| Battery | 48V 15Ah lithium-ion |
| Walking runtime | ~2 hours |
| Standing runtime | ~4 hours |
| Charge time | ~1.5 hours |
| Cameras | 2x RGB-D, 2x structured-light 3D |
| IMU | High-precision |
| Navigation | U-SLAM |
| AI engine | Embodied Interactive Large Model |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Languages | Multilingual |
| Actuation | Electric servo motors |
Walker C's most prominent deployment to date has been at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, which opened on April 13, 2025. The robot was stationed at the South Plaza of the China Pavilion, where it served as the pavilion's first humanoid AI "ambassador guide." In this role, Walker C greeted visitors, provided guided tours of the exhibits, answered questions in multiple languages, and performed interactive demonstrations. UBTECH described the Expo deployment as a continuation of its partnership with the China Pavilion, which began at Expo 2020 in Dubai, where Walker X and the Panda Robot served similar functions for approximately 1.76 million visitors over 182 days.[17][18]
The Expo 2025 deployment served as both a commercial showcase and a real-world stress test for Walker C's systems. Operating in an international venue with visitors from dozens of countries required the robot's multilingual dialogue system to handle diverse languages and cultural interaction styles.
Beyond the Expo, UBTECH markets Walker C for deployment in several categories of commercial environments.
| Venue Type | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|
| Exhibition halls and museums | Guided tours, exhibit narration, visitor Q&A |
| Office buildings and corporate campuses | Reception, visitor check-in, wayfinding |
| Shopping malls | Customer greeting, promotional announcements, store directory assistance |
| Transportation hubs (airports, train stations) | Passenger guidance, multilingual information services |
| Hotels and resorts | Guest welcome, lobby concierge, amenity information |
| Science centers and cultural pavilions | Interactive educational presentations |
| Service centers | Queue management, basic customer service |
In each of these settings, Walker C is intended to supplement (not replace) human staff by handling repetitive tasks such as greetings, wayfinding, and answering frequently asked questions, freeing human employees to focus on more complex interactions.
The Walker C occupies a distinct niche within UBTECH's Walker family. The following table compares the key models in the series.
| Feature | Walker (2018) | Walker X (2021) | Walker C (~2024) | Walker S (2023) | Walker S1 (2024) | Walker S2 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | ~1.2 m | 1.45 m | 1.63 m | 1.70 m | 1.72 m | 1.76 m |
| Weight | N/A | ~63 kg | 43 kg | ~76 kg | 76 kg | ~43 kg (body) |
| Degrees of freedom | Legs only | 41 | 20 | 41 | 41 | 52 |
| Max speed | N/A | N/A | 6 km/h | N/A | 3 km/h | 7.2 km/h |
| Arm payload | None | 3 kg/hand | 5 kg/arm | 15 kg/arm | 15 kg | 15 kg |
| Battery runtime | N/A | N/A | 2-4 hrs | N/A | ~2 hrs | Autonomous swap |
| AI integration | Voice commands | Vision, hand-eye coordination | Embodied Interactive Large Model | Force feedback, multi-modal sensing | LLM-based task planning, semantic VSLAM | Co-Agent system |
| Primary application | Consumer / home | Service / research | Commercial service | Industrial manufacturing | Industrial manufacturing | Industrial manufacturing (mass production) |
The comparison reveals Walker C's distinct positioning. It has fewer degrees of freedom than any of the S-series models (20 vs. 41-52), reflecting its focus on communication and navigation rather than complex manipulation. However, it is the lightest full-sized model in the family at 43 kg, making it more portable and less intimidating in public-facing environments. Its walking speed of 6 km/h is among the fastest in the lineup, important for keeping pace with walking visitors during guided tours.
Pricing for the Walker C varies by source and configuration. Third-party distributors have listed the robot at prices ranging from approximately US$25,000 to US$100,000, with the wide range likely reflecting differences between base configurations and fully integrated deployment packages that include venue mapping, custom dialogue scripts, and ongoing support services. One robotics industry database estimates the unit price at approximately US$41,200 for a standard configuration.[19][20]
As of early 2026, Walker C is available through UBTECH's international distribution network. The robot has been listed as in-stock by distributors in the United States, Canada, and Asia. Target markets include China, Japan, and select international regions. UBTECH has not publicly disclosed total production or sales figures for the Walker C specifically, though the broader Walker series accumulated orders exceeding 800 million yuan (approximately US$112 million) by late 2025.[21]
Walker C operates in the commercial humanoid service robot market, which is projected to be worth approximately US$3.93 billion in 2026 and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 35 percent through 2031.[22]
| Robot | Manufacturer | Height | DOF | Price (est.) | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker C | UBTECH Robotics | 163 cm | 20 | ~$25,000-$100,000 | Bipedal, Embodied AI Large Model, U-SLAM |
| Pepper | SoftBank Robotics | 120 cm | 19 | ~$25,000-$30,000 | Emotion recognition, largest installed base (27,000+ units) |
| NAO | SoftBank Robotics | 58 cm | 25 | ~$9,000 | Education and research focus, small form factor |
| Cruzr | UBTECH Robotics | N/A | Wheeled | ~$15,000 | Wheeled mobility, lower cost, same U-SLAM navigation |
| XMAN R1 | Keenon Robotics | N/A | Wheeled | ~$10,000 | Autonomous delivery focus, 100,000+ units shipped |
Walker C's primary competitive advantage is its bipedal, full-sized humanoid form. While wheeled robots such as UBTECH's own Cruzr and Keenon's delivery platforms dominate commercial service deployments by volume, Walker C's human-like walking and gesturing create a qualitatively different visitor experience. The bipedal form is particularly valuable in showcase environments (expos, museums, corporate lobbies) where the wow factor of a walking humanoid justifies the higher price point.
SoftBank's Pepper remains the most widely deployed customer-facing humanoid globally, with over 27,000 units sold since its 2014 launch. However, Pepper's production was paused in 2021 and has seen limited updates since then, potentially opening market share for newer entrants like Walker C. Pepper is also significantly shorter at 120 cm, which limits its physical presence compared to Walker C's 163 cm height.[23]
On the industrial humanoid front, Walker C does not compete directly with robots such as Tesla Optimus, Figure 02, or Agility Robotics' Digit, which target warehouse and manufacturing environments. UBTECH addresses those markets separately through its Walker S series.
The global humanoid robot market has seen rapid expansion in the mid-2020s, driven by declining costs for AI hardware, advances in large language models that enable natural dialogue, and growing labor shortages in service industries. Industry reports indicate that approximately 13,317 humanoid robots were shipped globally in 2025, with Chinese manufacturers accounting for roughly 90 percent of total volume.[24]
UBTECH's broader strategy segments the market into three tiers: education (served by Alpha, Jimu, and Yanshee products), commercial service (served by Cruzr and Walker C), and industrial manufacturing (served by Walker S, S1, and S2). Walker C's role in this strategy is to establish UBTECH's presence in the high-visibility commercial service segment, where successful deployments at venues like Expo 2025 generate media coverage and brand recognition that benefits the entire product lineup.
The company announced plans to scale Walker series production capacity to 5,000 units annually by 2026 and 10,000 units by 2027, though these figures primarily reflect the industrial Walker S2. UBTECH secured a US$1 billion credit facility from Infini Capital in September 2025 to support production expansion, including the establishment of a joint venture for a "superfactory" in the Middle East.[25][26]