Business

China's UBTech to Supply Humanoid Robots for Airbus Manufacturing
By Reuters | 21 Jan, 2026

The world's largest aircraft maker will expand the use of UBTech's Walker S2 industrial humanoid robot in future aerospace manufacturing activities.

Chinese robotics firm UBTech said on Wednesday it had signed a deal with the world's largest planemaker, Airbus, to supply robots for use in aviation manufacturing. 

Airbus has already purchased UBTech's latest industrial humanoid robot, the Walker S2, UBTech said, adding that the "the two parties will jointly expand the application of humanoid robots in aerospace manufacturing scenarios in the future."

Airbus said in a statement that the cooperation with UBTech was in the early concept-testing stage.

Humanoid robots, that are built to closely resemble human motion and behaviour, have become increasingly important to Beijing as it looks for solutions to pressing issues including trade frictions with the United States, population decline and slowing growth.

In recent years, Chinese humanoid robots have demonstrated increasing feats of agility, including performing somersaults, running a half marathon and even playing football.

UBTech and Airbus' partnership comes after a deal last year that UBTech inked with U.S. semi conductor maker Texas Instruments.

In 2025 UBTech's total humanoid robot order value exceeded 1.4 billion yuan, the company said. Production capacity for its industrial humanoid robots is expected to exceed 10,000 units in 2026. 

(Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Louise Heavens)