Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics has announced the development of its Walker S2 humanoid robot, which can autonomously swap its own batteries.

A demonstration video released on July 17, 2025, showed the robot removing a depleted battery, placing it in a charging station, and replacing it with a fresh one before resuming its tasks.

The dual-battery system allows the Walker S2 to operate continuously with minimal human intervention.

Reports indicate that the robot monitors its power levels and can switch between batteries as needed. It completes the battery-swapping process in about three minutes.

UBTech, which became the first humanoid robot manufacturer to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2023, has been testing its Walker robots in factories run by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including BYD, Nio, and Zeekr.

However, the company has not announced a target for large-scale production of the Walker S2.

Shenzhen, UBTech’s home city, hosts over 1,600 robotics companies and is promoting the adoption of robotics across various industries.

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🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ China’s robotics rise reflects a decade-long strategic policy approach

UBTech’s battery-swapping robot represents the outcome of China’s deliberate national robotics strategy, not an isolated achievement.

China has dramatically increased its robot density from lagging global averages to reaching 470 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2023, surpassing both Germany and Japan to rank third globally 1.

This rapid growth stems from consistent government backing through initiatives like “Made in China 2025,” which established robotics as a strategic priority and provided substantial financial support for manufacturers 1.

The results are quantifiable: domestic Chinese robot manufacturers now hold over 30% of the country’s robotics market, nearly doubling their 17% share from 2015 1.

China’s approach combines centralized planning with market competition, establishing over 3,400 robotics startups since 2017 while fostering innovation through academic research that accounts for 35% of global robotics patents 2.

This systematic approach contrasts with more fragmented robotics development in Western countries, demonstrating how coordinated industrial policy can accelerate technological adoption in strategic sectors.

2️⃣ Energy autonomy addresses a fundamental barrier in practical robotics

The Walker S2’s battery-swapping capability tackles one of the most persistent challenges in robotics: continuous power supply without human intervention.

Battery limitations have traditionally forced difficult tradeoffs between robot functionality, operational time, and physical size, creating a significant barrier to deployment in real-world industrial settings 3.

By enabling autonomous battery swapping in just three minutes, UBTech’s innovation allows for true 24/7 operation, potentially transforming the economics of humanoid robots in manufacturing environments 4, 5.

The technology’s significance extends beyond convenience. Continuous operation without human intervention is essential for robots to achieve cost-effectiveness in manufacturing settings where production lines operate around the clock.

Shenzhen’s ecosystem of 1,600+ robotics companies creates ideal conditions for such innovations, as specialized suppliers can focus on solving specific challenges like energy management while integrating with broader robotics platforms.

3️⃣ Production scale remains the next frontier for humanoid robot viability

Despite technical advances, the economic viability of humanoid robots still depends on achieving mass production to drive down costs.

China’s manufacturing ecosystem gives its robotics companies a distinct advantage, with six Chinese humanoid robot firms targeting production of over 1,000 units this year, volumes comparable to US market leader Tesla’s Optimus production goals 1.

Historical patterns in robotics show that unit economics improve dramatically with scale, as seen in industrial robots where installations have grown from specialized use to over 4 million units globally by 2023 6.

The global market for industrial robots is projected to reach 600,000 annual installations by 2024, indicating growing adoption across industries as capabilities improve and costs decrease 7.

Testing Walker robots in production lines at major electric vehicle manufacturers like BYD, Nio, and Zeekr provides UBTech with real-world validation data that can accelerate improvement cycles while proving commercial applications 4.

This pattern of scaling production before complete technological maturity has been a hallmark of China’s technology development approach, previously seen in sectors like solar panels and electric vehicles where manufacturing scale helped drive rapid innovation.

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