In recent months, humanoid robots have repeatedly set records for large orders.
In June, a company under China Mobiletendered for humanoid robot procurement projects, with a total bid package of 124 million yuan.
This major project was ultimately won by Zhiyuan Robotics and Yushu Technology, with the former securing a full-size humanoid biped robot procurement package with a budget of 78 million yuan, while the latter won a small-size humanoid biped robot, computing backpack, and dexterous hand procurement package with a budget of 46.05 million yuan.
In July, UBTECH received a 90.51 million yuan robot equipment procurement project from Miyi Automotive, setting a record for the largest single bid amount for a humanoid robot company.
Recently, UBTECH secured another large order from a well-known domestic enterprise,procurement of 250 million yuan for embodied intelligent humanoid robot products and solutions, once again breaking the record for the largest single bid amount for a humanoid robot company.
What does it mean for UBTECH to continuously secure large orders?
In the first half of this year, the total contract amount for publicly disclosed humanoid robot bidding projects in China reached nearly 330 million yuan.
These two orders from UBTECH have already exceeded the total contract amount for publicly disclosed humanoid robot bidding projects in the first half of the year.
Moreover, many orders in the first half of the year came from educational and research institutions such as universities, research institutes, and vocational colleges, indicating that people are still in the research phase regarding this new phenomenon of humanoid robots; while large orders in the second half of the year are coming from enterprises, suggesting that after research,people are ready to accept humanoid robots for fastening screws in factories.
These two orders from UBTECH are likely for applications in industrial scenarios. Previously, their humanoid robots have entered many factories of companies such as Geely, BYD, Foxconn, and SF Express for practical training.
It seems that in the first half of the year, everyone was in a “research mode,” while in the second half, they directly entered a “crazy study” mode, with humanoid robots rushing into the workforce!
According to UBTECH’s own statement,the work efficiency of their humanoid robots is equivalent to 30% of a human’s, which sounds quite inefficient.
However, humanoid robots do not need to eat or sleep and can operate 24/7.
UBTECH released a video showing the humanoid robot Walker S2 walking to the battery rack, skillfully using its mechanical hand to take out a depleted battery, performing the action as if it were extracting its own heart, and then placing a fully charged battery back into itself, thus completing autonomous battery replacement.
The video caption reads, “UBTECH Walker S2 is the world’s first to achieve autonomous battery replacement,the 7*24 hour working humanoid robot is coming.”
I watched the video for three minutes, and my screwdriver almost fell to the ground—this is not just a robot; this is a workaholic transformed into a spirit…
As a worker, I need to eat, sleep, and take breaks, but what about robots?
Even though humanoid robots have only 30% of my work efficiency, they can operate 24 hours a day,without overtime pay, without social security, and without the “I don’t want to go to work today” mood.
What’s even scarier is that they are continuously iterating.
According to UBTECH, the work efficiency of humanoid robots is continuously evolving, and by early 2026, it is expected to exceed 50% of human efficiency,and by the end of 2027, it is expected to surpass 80%.At that time, I will have no competitive edge in the factory…
If I can’t get into the factory, then I might as well try my luck in the service industry, right?
Sorry, if I want to try my luck in the service industry, I will also encounter humanoid robots blocking my way.
Earlier, I mentioned that Zhiyuan Robotics won the China Mobile project,which involves their humanoid robot Expedition A2 used for reception in corporate lobbies and service halls.
Expedition A2 is said to have the intelligence level of a 2-year-old child but possesses an excellent memory, capable of remembering 1,000 human faces and 1 million knowledge entries. It can not only be used for front desk reception but may also be able to handle security and service tasks in the future.
When I get older, my memory and physical strength will decline, and I won’t even be able to compete with robots for jobs.
Although humanoid robots will eventually replace many people, the companies involved may not be able to wait for that day.
The recent surge in large orders for humanoid robots is just the latest development, but the R&D and initial investments are substantial. Companies like UBTECH are still operating at a loss.
Yushu Technology has achieved profitability, but its main source of income is quadruped robots, commonly known as “robot dogs”—so in the robotics industry, “dogs” are getting ahead of “humans”.
In order to survive until profitability and to seize the market,various humanoid robot companies are trying every means to secure financing.
Since going public, UBTECH has conducted five placements, applied for bank loans six times, and recently signed a strategic partnership agreement worth $1 billion with the internationally renowned investment firm Infini Capital.
Yushu Technology plans to submit an IPO application between October and December this year.
Watching them secure financing and expand production, I am even more anxious: in the future, not only will there be no screws to fasten, but even the “Three Treasures of Fortune” (security, cleaning, and caregiving) and the “Iron Triathlon” (delivery, express, and driving) jobs that middle-aged workers rely on may also be taken over by robots.
Now I just want to ask humanoid robot companies: do your robots take apprentices? I am willing to humble myself and learn how to fasten screws from them!
Scroll up and down to view reference materials:
NVIDIA’s next-generation robot “brain” goes on sale, AI computing power improved by 7.5 times_ Caixin News_ Caixin News https://www.caixin.com/2025-08-26/102355557.html?originReferrer=caixinsearch_pc
Yushu emphasizes “civilian use” and plans to submit an IPO application in the fourth quarter_ Caixin News_ Caixin News https://www.caixin.com/2025-09-03/102358477.html
Humanoid robots enter the “capital storage” phase: UBTECH secures $1 billion financing credit, completing five placements since going public https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2xH9Ez9iymp9ujKamoIGNQ
Yushu and Zhiyuan Robotics win 124 million yuan large orders_ Urban Express https://hzdaily.hangzhou.com.cn/dskb/2025/07/15/article_detail_2_20250715A131.html
China Securities Journal – Yushu Technology announces listing plan, humanoid robots accelerate the process of capitalization http://epaper.cs.com.cn/zgzqb/html/2025-09/03/nw.D110000zgzqb_20250903_1-A07.htm
Yushu, UBTECH, and Zhiyuan lead the way, insights into humanoid robot industry orders and delivery capabilities in 2025 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Jehy3gywwI8oGoxwP3OioQ
Breaking news! 250 million! UBTECH once again wins the largest global contract for humanoid robots https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YmICWqWfbo03hA_lNQvaHgHumanoid robots are booming! Multiple A-share companies have signed orders! https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/oISri-1qRQ9BMmNqZK1xUQ
Image credit: UBTECH Technology
The end of this chapter