European aerospace giant Airbus has purchased UBTech’s Walker S2 humanoid robots for use at its aircraft manufacturing plants.
The two companies will also explore additional applications for humanoid robots in aviation manufacturing, UBTech said in a statement on Jan. 18, without disclosing the financial terms of the deal. UBTech’s shares rose as much as 8% in Hong Kong to their highest level since Oct. 31, 2025, following news of the deal, according to Bloomberg.
Walker S2, a full-size humanoid robot that stands 176 cm tall, weighs 70 kg, and walks at about two meters per second. It has dexterous hands with 11 degrees of freedom and tactile sensors. It can hold 7.5 kg in each hand and 1 kg with each finger. UBTech said in November 2025 that Walker S2 was the first humanoid robot capable of hot-swapping its own batteries.
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UBTech Walker S2 humanoid robot works in a factory. Photo courtesy of UBTech |
Since its launch, Walker S2 has been adopted by companies including carmaker BYD and contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn.
The Airbus deal follows a partnership last month between UBTech and U.S. semiconductor maker Texas Instruments, highlighting the Chinese firm’s accelerating overseas push, the South China Morning Post reported.
UBTech has shipped about 1,000 humanoid robots worldwide, ranking third globally behind Chinese firms Agibot and Unitree, and ahead of Western robotics makers such as Figure AI, Agility Robotics, Tesla, Apptronik, and Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, according to Forbes.
The Shenzhen-based company said total orders for its humanoid robots exceeded 1.4 billion yuan (US$201 million) in 2025. It aims to reach a production capacity of 10,000 units in 2026.
