Chinese firm unveils world’s first humanoid robot that can change its own batteries

Chinese company UBTech unveiled the world's first humanoid robot that can autonomously change its own batteries in south China's tech hub Shenzhen on Thursday.

This humanoid robot features the world's first hot-swappable autonomous battery replacement system. This technology allows the robot to change its batteries without shutting down or requiring human assistance.

The application of such technology prevents task interruptions due to charging downtime, enabling continuous operation while cutting maintenance labor costs, thus enhancing overall production efficiency.

"Previously, a major drawback of robots was their limited operation hours, often only around four hours. The battery-swapping technology effectively extends the continuous operation time. Otherwise, they have to pause for charging and then come back to continue work, but the production line can't afford to stop. Therefore, this technology makes it possible for robots to work continuously, which means that humanoid robots can be standard equipment on production lines and in factories," said Fan Congming, executive president of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association.

The application of robots in manufacturing production lines is accelerating the pace of automation upgrade of factories. Since the beginning of this year, several Chinese humanoid robot companies have secured orders from automotive manufacturers, sending more and more robots to work in factories.

The work of robots primarily includes handling and quality inspection in sectors such as automobile manufacturing and electronic manufacturing. Technological breakthroughs in energy solutions facilitate longer and more stable operation for robots, enhancing the safety and reliability of their factory work.

"Companies are now turning to smarter manufacturing process. In industrial production, tasks such as moving, polishing, welding and spraying, along with heavy lifting and palletizing in the automotive industry, are often repetitive and labor-intensive, so we use robots to replace labor force in these work," said Xing Fan, production manager of a robot manufacturing factory in Foshan City.

According to a report on the humanoid robot industry released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China's humanoid robot market scale was approximately 2.76 billion yuan (about 381.28 million U.S. dollars) in 2024, while by 2029, it is expected to expand to 75 billion yuan (about 10.36 billion U.S. dollars).

Industry insiders said that driven by supportive policies, humanoid robots are turning to practical application, with the industry entering a phase of accelerated development. Humanoid robots are expected to first penetrate the manufacturing sector, then gradually expand into the service industry and eventually into households by virtue of price reduction and scale effect.

Chinese firm unveils world’s first humanoid robot that can change its own batteries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had a phone conversation with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss the end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

In a video statement posted to social media platform X, Zelensky said both sides have "good ideas for lasting peace". He stressed that Ukraine is working around the clock to bring closer the end to the conflict and to ensure that all documents and steps are "realistic, effective, and reliable."

The two sides discussed certain substantive details of the ongoing work, the Ukrainian president said, adding that they have "good ideas that can work toward a shared outcome and the lasting peace."

He expressed the hope that the understandings and the ideas discussed between the two sides can be useful.

Zelensky added that Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, held follow-up communication with Witkoff and Kushner later during the day.

The latest development came after Zelensky has recently unveiled a 20-point draft peace plan, which was agreed on by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators and is being reviewed by Russia.

On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is analyzing the peace proposal on Ukraine submitted by Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, following his recent meeting with U.S. officials.

"We are analyzing these materials, and subsequently, in accordance with the decision made by the Head of State, we will continue consultations with the U.S. side," Peskov said.

Earlier, Peskov said Dmitriev had briefed President Vladimir Putin on the outcomes of his trip to Miami.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told at a press briefing on Thursday that negotiations with the United States are progressing "slowly but steadily."

She said that Russia is "ready to continue working within the framework defined at the highest level in Anchorage," referring to summit between President Putin and President Donald Trump in Alaska this August.

Zakharova also accused Western European states of "torpedoing" the diplomatic progress.

She also added that Russia is ready to formally state in a written document that it has no intention to attack NATO or EU countries.

Also on Thursday, Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, said his company had received information concerning the United States' willingness to cooperate with Russia on the issue of electricity supply from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

He said that some of the electricity from the Zaporizhzhia plant may be transmitted to Ukraine in the future, but the specific volume needs to be determined through negotiations.

Zelensky holds phone conversation with U.S. envoys as Russia analyzes peace proposal