Robbyant R1

The Robbyant R1 is a pioneering wheeled humanoid robot developed by Ant Lingbo Technology (Robbyant), a robotics subsidiary of Ant Group, the Chinese fintech giant behind Alipay. Unveiled in September 2025 at major events like IFA 2025 in Berlin and the INCLUSION Conference in Shanghai, the R1 represents Ant Group's ambitious entry into embodied AI and humanoid robotics, aiming to bridge digital AI services with physical world applications. Unlike bipedal robots focused on mobility feats, the R1 prioritizes practical service tasks through a wheeled base for stable navigation, upper-body humanoid form with two arms for manipulation, and advanced AI integration. Architecturally, the R1 stands between 160-175 cm tall, weighs 110 kg, and features 34 degrees of freedom (DOF) primarily in its arms for dexterous tasks. It achieves a maximum speed of 5.4 km/h (under 1.5 m/s), powered by 48V DC geared motors with encoders for precise control. The robot employs multimodal perception cameras for vision, enabling object recognition, spatial mapping, and environmental understanding. Connectivity includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for cloud integration, allowing real-time AI processing and updates. The core intelligence stems from Ant Group's AI ecosystem, initially linked to the Bailing LLM but evolving with the Ling series of large language models, including trillion-parameter-scale systems for multimodal reasoning, planning, and interaction. The embodied AI architecture decomposes complex tasks into perception, planning, and execution layers. Spatial perception AI identifies ingredients, utensils, and appliances, while a large embodied-AI model handles process planning, recipe learning, and adaptation to varied kitchen layouts or equipment brands. During live demos, the R1 autonomously cooked garlic shrimp: selecting ingredients, operating a wok, stirring, and serving—demonstrating end-to-end autonomy from perception to cleanup. This 'scenario-based' approach bundles the robot with customized software solutions for specific environments like commercial kitchens. Real-world deployment history began with pilots shortly after launch. By late 2025, R1 units were tested in restaurants, community centers, and institutions such as the Shanghai History Museum for tour guiding. Healthcare pilots include medicine sorting and basic consultations via voice interaction. Hospitality applications target labor-shortage areas, with the robot acting as a caregiver assistant or public service aide. Ant Group reports mass production of the first-generation R1, with second-gen in development, emphasizing bundled 'scenario solutions' over standalone sales. Priced around $55,000 per humanoid.guide estimates, it's targeted at institutional use. The R1's software-centric design leverages Ant's AI expertise—derived from fintech-scale data processing—for continuous learning. It connects to cloud-based 'super smart brain' for task optimization, reducing latency in glass-to-action pipelines. Challenges include slow manipulation speeds observed in demos and reliance on structured environments, but its focus on service sectors positions it competitively against Unitree or Tesla Optimus in commercial viability. As of December 2025, partnerships in Europe are explored, signaling global expansion. The R1 exemplifies China's push in humanoid robotics, integrating vast AI resources with practical hardware for scalable, AI-driven service robots.