Can a robot cost the price of a phone? The world's cheapest humanoid robot has been announced.

Chinese startup Noetix Robotics has announced a model that will usher in a new era in the affordable humanoid robot market. This humanoid, named Bumi, sells for nearly the price of a flagship smartphone . Priced at just 9,998 yuan (approximately $ 1,370), Bumi has become one of the industry's leading robots, designed for students and home users, beyond research labs and institutional use. Of course, user reviews will tell us how successful it is in delivering its promised results.

Bumi stands 94 cm tall and weighs 12 kilograms. It's not expected to compete with high-performance, full-size humanoid robots; instead, it's focused on a smaller, lighter, and more accessible category focused on education and home use. Initial demonstrations show the robot can walk, balance, and dance. These features alone are quite impressive considering its price.

Noetix describes Bumi as "the first consumer-grade humanoid robot under 10,000 yuan," and predicts it will be a milestone in the transition from laboratory prototypes to everyday home devices. It also notes that this affordability is made possible by lightweight composite materials, the company's in-house developed motion control system, and modular design. Humanoid robots with similar features typically command three to four times this price.

Household helper robot

Bumi can run for 1.2 hours on a 48V battery and offers drag-and-drop visual programming and voice interaction support for beginners. It's said to function as both a learning companion and a personal assistant.

Clearly, this move could elevate Bumi to a prominent position within the existing Chinese humanoid robot ecosystem. While models like Unitree's H2 robot and UBTECH's Tiangong Walker are focused on research and education, Bumi stands out as a distinct option for the home and education market with its accessible price tag. Bumi could be seen as ushering in a new era in robotics by elevating human-like robot technology beyond multi-million dollar industrial models and pricing it at the level of a smartphone or high-end drone.