ByJohn Koetsier,
Senior Contributor.
Airbus is dipping its toes into the humanoid robot workforce with a purchase of China-based UBTech’s robots, according to Bloomberg. The European airplane manufacturer is apparently going to try to put humanoid robots on the assembly line, as the deal includes a plan to work together with UBTech on integrating robots into the airplane-building process.
Airbus ordered UBTech’s Walker S2, a full-size humanoid that stands 176 cm tall (5’9"), weighs 70 kg (154 lbs), and walks at about two meters/second (4.5 mph). It has dextrous hands with 11 degrees of freedom and tactile sensors, and can hold 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) in each hand and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) with each finger.
The Walker S2 can also hot-swap its own batteries, and UBTech said in November of 2025 it was the first humanoid robot to be able to do so. Particularly useful for production environments, the Walker S2 can pivot on its waist almost 180 degrees, enabling it to quickly move components or work on other parts without shifting its feet.
