Jack Ma-backed company launches China’s first humanoid robot
R1 is Ant Group’s latest move into humanoid robotics, which can tackle real-world tasks like cooking, guiding visitors and sorting medicines
At a tech show in Berlin last week, a humanoid robot calmly served shrimp on a plate in front of curious onlookers. The machine, called R1, is the first humanoid robot built by Ant Group, the Chinese company best known for its payment platform Alipay.
R1 represents Ant Group's pivot into cutting-edge robotics, a sector traditionally led by Western companies.
Ant Group's robotics arm, Robbyant, has been showcasing R1 at events in both Berlin and Shanghai this month. The demonstrations show the robot tackling kitchen tasks, but its potential uses go much further.
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The company says R1 could one day work as a tour guide, a helper in pharmacies, or even as a caregiver in community centres and hospitals.
For Ant, the real strength of R1 lies not in its physical shell but in its "brain". The robot is powered by the company's own large artificial intelligence model, designed to handle complex planning.
In theory, it can learn new tasks, recognise spaces, and use tools in real time. That is a leap from the stiff, pre-programmed robots many people still picture.
Of course, the road to useful humanoid robots is long. Current tests show R1 moving at a careful, almost hesitant pace. The company has not announced a launch date or price, and public trials are still limited.
Yet Ant sees this as a strategic step. By building a robot that looks and acts human, it hopes to make artificial intelligence more approachable in daily life.
