Ant Group, the Alibaba-affiliated fintech powerhouse behind Alipay and backed by Jack Ma, has made a bold entry into the humanoid robotics arena with the unveiling of its first robot, the R1, developed by subsidiary Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology Co. (also known as Robbyant). Showcased at major tech events this month—including the IFA 2025 trade show in Berlin and the 2025 Inclusion Conference in Shanghai—the R1 emphasizes embodied AI capabilities, positioning it as a direct competitor to Tesla’s Optimus and other global players like Boston Dynamics and Unitree Robotics. The robot’s debut highlights China’s accelerating push toward AI-driven automation, focusing on “brains” over hardware to enable complex, autonomous task execution.
The R1 is a wheeled, two-armed humanoid standing between 1.6 and 1.75 meters tall, weighing 110 kg, and capable of moving at under 1.5 meters per second with 34 degrees of freedom. At IFA 2025, it demonstrated practical skills by preparing garlic shrimp in a kitchen setup, using multimodal perception to recognize and locate ingredients and utensils autonomously. Powered by Ant’s proprietary BaiLing large language model, the robot excels at end-to-end task planning—planning, executing, and adapting to complex activities without step-by-step human instructions. This AI integration allows R1 to learn new recipes (over 10,000 claimed), prepare more than 1,000 tea drinks, and handle remote-controlled operations, making it versatile for real-world scenarios.
Beyond culinary demos, Ant envisions broad applications for R1 as a “smart companion” in daily life. Potential uses include serving as a caregiver or companion in healthcare (e.g., sorting medicine, providing basic consultations), a tour guide in museums or travel settings, and an assistant in pharmacies or households to address labor shortages. Robbyant CEO Zhu Xing described R1 as a “super smart brain” connected to cloud-based AI that improves with each task, leveraging Ant’s expertise in digital payments and AI to simplify mundane chores. The robot is already in mass production and has been shipped to clients like the Shanghai History Museum, bundled as part of “scenario solutions” rather than standalone units.
This launch underscores Ant’s strategic pivot from fintech to embodied AI, founded on its investments in large models like BaiLing, trained with cost-effective Chinese semiconductors to bypass U.S. restrictions. Components, including joint modules from Ti5 and chassis from Galaxea AI (Ant-backed), highlight domestic supply chain reliance. A second-generation model is in development, with partnerships eyed in Europe for expansion. However, demos revealed limitations: R1’s movements were notably slow, such as glacially placing a box on a counter, raising questions about real-world efficiency compared to rivals.
The unveiling intensifies the global humanoid robot race, where China leads in industrial density but seeks to commercialize consumer applications. Analysts note Ant’s AI-centric approach could differentiate it, though hardware maturity lags behind Tesla’s Optimus promises. No launch date or pricing has been announced, but testing in community centers and restaurants signals near-term deployment. As AI robotics evolves, R1 represents China’s ambition to integrate intelligent machines into everyday life, potentially transforming sectors like healthcare and hospitality.
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