(Hong Kong Wen Wei Po Reporter | Ng Kin-yee) Bobby, a humanoid robot developed by Unitree Robotics—one of the “Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou”—recently made its official landing in Hong Kong, meeting citizens and visitors in Tsim Shui Tsun and Cheung Chau. Local enterprise Xlife Robot held a press conference yesterday to officially announce the introduction of Unitree Robotics’ G1 humanoid robot (named “Bobby”). Yesir Cheng, founder of Xlife Robot, a well-known Asian enterprise coach and corporate training expert, stated that he hopes to use the philosophy of “democratizing intelligence” to propel Hong Kong into a new era of technology services, thereby driving Hong Kong’s retail and service sectors, revitalizing the local economy, and telling a compelling story of Hong Kong.
Unitree Robotics officially released the G1 on May 13 last year, with a retail price starting from 99,000 RMB. Yesir Cheng, who introduced the robot, emphasized that his goal is not merely hardware sales, but rather transforming robots into a burgeoning momentum for Hong Kong’s economy through programming development and scenario design. He noted that Xlife Robot may introduce more robot models in the future and collaborate with local chambers of commerce to expand application scenarios. “Hong Kong’s current economic environment needs innovative momentum, and new elements like robots can revitalize traditional commercial districts. Robots can be programmed with different movements, such as dancing or role-playing, providing visitors with novel experiences.”
Regarding related robot insurance, Cheng candidly admitted that no insurance company is currently willing to underwrite accidents involving robots, such as compensation for injuries caused by a robot.
Enterprises Plan to Introduce Robots as Receptionists
At the press conference, the humanoid robot Bobby demonstrated a high degree of interactivity, successfully completing preset actions such as waving and shaking hands, and engaging in simple interactions with attendees. Flora, founder of local perfume brand Floroma who attended the press conference, stated that she would consider deploying Bobby in her company to use robots for guest reception and bring a sense of novelty to customers.
Another focal point of the press conference was the dynamic demonstration of the robot dog. During its first attempt, the robot dog failed to land stably after jumping off a stage about one meter high. Following readjustment, the robot dog successfully completed the action in the second round, landing steadily and maintaining its balance. Cheng stated that this demonstration aimed to highlight the potential of robots in entertainment and commercial applications, and that future efforts will continue to optimize programming and scenario adaptability to achieve deep integration of robots into urban spaces. He said: “The programming leans more toward entertainment. Seeing a group of robots dancing, doing kung fu, or street performances on the street—we hope that when tourists arrive, they will take more photos and post them on social media. Chambers of commerce (renting them) more—there are some shopping malls in discussions, hoping that robots can drive foot traffic on weekends and attract more people to take photos in malls.”
(Source: Wen Wei Po, Page A09: News, 2025/05/14)
https://www.tkww.hk/a/202505/14/AP6823dd53e4b0fbda9a1f40fb.html ( 大公文匯 – 源文 )
