China Launches World’s First Robot That Can Recharge Itself

What Happened?

Chinese robotics company UBTECH has released a new Walker S2 robot that can not only walk and run but can recharge itself when its battery gets low. According to the company’s website, the S2 Walker uses a 48-volt lithium battery in a dual-battery system, the robot can walk for two hours or stand for four hours before its power runs out. The battery takes 90 minutes to fully recharge. 

The specifications list the robot as standing five feet, three inches tall and weighing ninety-five pounds, which is roughly the size of a small adult human. 

Why it Matters

What makes the S2 Walker unique is that the robot’s internal sensors can determine when its battery is running low. When that threshold is reached, a series of pre-programmed instructions kick-in and the robot can then replace its depleted battery with a battery that is fully charged. Humanoid robots have several potential applications in fields such as construction, but to date power limitations have been a major barrier preventing widespread adoption of robot workers.

To demonstrate the new capability, UBTECH posted a video to YouTube showing an S2 Walker going to a battery charging station to get a new battery. The robot used its arms to remove the battery pack fitted into its back then placed the depleted battery into a recharging station. It then removed a fresh battery pack from the unit and inserted it into its port.

Crypto's "Once Per Cycle" Wealth-Building Moment Is Here

We’ve entered the next phase of the crypto cycle—where smart capital moves early and retail follows late. With fundamentals stronger than ever and institutional adoption accelerating, the window to act is now. While others wait for certainty, the informed few are positioning for outsized gains.

Get my #1 Coin to Buy During the Dip guide—your edge in this cycle, for just $3.

Even though the battery takes ninety minutes to charge, the ability to automatically perform a battery swap gives the S2 a significant advantage over its competitors. After completing a battery swap the S2 Walker could continue working where other similar humanoid robots would require human assistance in order to keep going when their power supply was diminished.

Humanoid robots can be particularly useful when working in hazardous environments deemed too dangerous for human beings, or in completing repetitive tasks for long periods of time, which are considered dull by human workers. Robot workers also have the potential to perform heavy lifting or other arduous tasks beyond the physical capabilities of the average person. 

Despite the potential applications for robot workers, currently there are only a relative handful of pilot projects underway, mostly at warehouses, that are actually utilizing humanoid robots to accomplish work. Robotics equipment has long been used in manufacturing facilities, but those machines are generally not mobile the way humanoid robots are.

How it Affects You

The potential for robots to replace human workers on a large scale remains low at present, mainly because of the limitations of the robots themselves such as power supplies and the ability to complete complex tasks. But as the S2 Walker shows, those problems are gradually being solved, which could mean more robots in the workforce over the course of the next decade.