UBTech rolls out humanoid robots in European retail and border security

Rossmann has begun a year‑long test of UBTech’s Walker S2 humanoid robot at its Burgwedel distribution centre. Since March 2026 the 1.76‑metre robot swaps its battery automatically in under three minutes and can operate almost continuously, handling up to 15 kg per movement. The unit costs roughly €78 000 outright or €4 350 per month on lease, and the trial will assess how the technology can be integrated into logistics processes ahead of stricter EU machine‑tool regulations.

At the same time UBTech reported more than 13 000 pre‑orders for its consumer‑focused U1 humanoid series and secured a border‑security contract worth about $40 million for Walker S2 units at the Fangchenggang crossing between China and Vietnam. The dual push into the consumer market and industrial‑security applications lifted the company’s share price by around 12 percent. Together, the deployments highlight a shift of humanoid robots from demonstration models to practical work‑force tools in both retail logistics and critical‑infrastructure settings.