Walker S1 humanoid robot starts factory work at BYD
Humanoid robots are no longer just stunt demos on stage. The Walker S1 humanoid robot from UBTech is already working in BYD’s electric‑car factories, lifting crates, checking parts and helping other machines move goods around the plant. For China, where factories are struggling to hire and keep enough skilled workers, this kind of robot is one way to keep production growing while human staff move toward safer and more complex tasks.
In this article, we look at what Walker S1 actually does in factories today, why car makers are investing in humanoid robots, and what this shift could mean for workers and for the future of industrial jobs.
How Walker S1 humanoid robots work in BYD factories
In BYD plants, Walker S1 does not stand alone on the shop floor. It is part of a wider system of autonomous trolleys, forklifts, conveyor belts and software that decides what each machine should do next. The humanoid fills gaps that fixed robot arms or wheeled carts cannot cover easily, such as picking up boxes from different heights, pressing buttons or handling tools shaped for human hands.
A report from EyeShenzhen shows Walker S1 working in BYD’s factory in Changsha, Hunan Province, alongside unmanned logistics vehicles and other smart equipment. UBTech says this combination of humanoids and autonomous logistics vehicles is a world first for industrial applications.
From pilot tests to regular shifts
UBTech first showed Walker S1 in controlled demos, but recent reports describe it completing factory pilot projects and moving into regular shifts at BYD. In at least one BYD line, the robot reportedly doubled efficiency and raised stability for a material‑handling task once it was fully tuned.
Instead of walking everywhere, the robot often stays near a station or a small area of the line, repeating a set of motions while the rest of the system brings work to it. That makes it easier to keep balance reliable and keeps power use under control, while still removing a tiring physical job from a human worker’s day.
Working with autonomous logistics vehicles
Much of the value comes from pairing Walker S1 with self‑driving logistics vehicles. Autonomous tractors tow trolleys stacked with boxes through the factory, while smaller mobile robots can stop at loading zones. Walker S1 takes parcels from pallets or trolleys, places them on conveyors, or moves them onto shelves and returns empty containers.
This mix of wheels plus legs lets factories automate both long, simple routes and short, tricky moves that need a human‑like body. The humanoid handles the unstructured bits—reaching into awkward spaces, adjusting its grip, lining up with tools—while wheeled robots handle most of the distance.
Tasks on the line: inspection, assembly, labeling
Walker S1 is trained for a range of repetitive tasks that still demand precision. Cameras in its head can check labels or part surfaces and flag defects. In other stations the robot uses a powered screwdriver to tighten screws to a set torque, or fits small parts into jigs and fixtures.
UBTech’s industrial application notes also list parcel handling, screw‑bolt tightening, part assembly and process material handling as core tasks, plus visual inspection of components for quality control. These are exactly the sort of jobs that wear people down over time but must be done reliably, over and over.
Why China wants humanoid robots on the line
China’s car industry has grown quickly, but it now faces both rising wages and a shortage of young people willing to take factory jobs. Government labour shortage projections warned years ago that key sectors such as automobile manufacturing could be short tens of millions of workers by the mid‑2020s. At the same time, factories must keep improving efficiency and safety to stay competitive.
A shrinking pipeline of factory workers
Vocational schools and training programs have not fully kept pace with the demand for skilled technicians. Many young graduates prefer office work or software jobs instead of noisy production lines. As a result, some plants struggle to hire enough staff for physically demanding shifts, especially night work and weekend overtime.
Humanoid robots that can plug into existing workspaces, and handle tools built for humans, are attractive to factory managers because they fit into current layouts with fewer changes than a full re‑design around fixed robotics.
Reducing injuries and turnover
Another driver is safety. Repeated heavy lifting, twisting and awkward reaches can cause long‑term joint and back problems. Walker S1 is meant to take over those tasks: carrying heavy bins, moving materials between heights, or working in areas with fumes, heat or sharp edges.
When robots do the most punishing jobs, workers can move into roles that use more of their judgment and experience—like setting up robots, checking tricky parts, or solving problems when something goes wrong. That can cut injuries and reduce turnover in roles that previously burned people out.
What Walker S1 can actually do today
Walker S1 is not a science‑fiction android. It is a machine with clear strengths and limits. Understanding those details makes it easier to see where it fits on the factory floor.
Core specs: size, payload and endurance
Public specifications say Walker S1 stands about 1.72 meters tall, weighs around 76 kilograms, and can carry a 15 kilogram load while walking. Its walking speed is in the range of a slow human walk, and a single charge lets it work for roughly two hours, depending on motion and load. That is enough for many line‑side tasks before the robot must be swapped out or recharged.
Inside, the robot uses an electric battery pack, high‑torque rotary actuators, and 40‑plus degrees of freedom in its joints. These parts let it bend, reach and balance in ways closer to a human worker than a simple cart or arm can manage.
Skills: perception, hands and AI planning
Walker S1’s head and body carry several cameras and other sensors that give it a wide view of pallets, shelves and moving vehicles. Software stitches these signals into a 3D map of the surroundings so the robot can plan safe foot placements and arm motions.
Its hands have multiple fingers and tactile sensors, so it can grip crates, tools and small components with more finesse than a simple claw. That matters in real factories, where boxes are dented, tape sticks, labels peel, and nothing is as clean as a lab demo.
UBTech also highlights high‑level task planning driven by large language models. In practice, this means an AI system helps decide sequences of actions from simple instructions or templates, while lower‑level controllers keep balance and track precise joint positions. The result is a robot that can switch between related jobs—such as moving different box sizes or using a screwdriver and then a scanner—without needing a completely new program for each one.
Limits, open questions, and worker impact
Even with its advanced design, Walker S1 is not ready to replace every factory worker. Several limits still shape how far and how fast factories can roll out humanoid robots.
Technical and economic limits
Humanoid robots remain expensive and complex to maintain. Each unit combines many moving parts, sensors and powerful computers that must survive dust, oil, vibration and heat. If a robot spends too much time in maintenance or moves slower than a cheaper conveyor or simple arm, its value drops.
Integration is also hard. Every factory line is different, with its own timing, tools and safety rules. Getting Walker S1 to work smoothly with existing machines and software can take months of engineering. For many tasks, a basic conveyor, a box‑shaped mobile robot, or a fixed industrial arm will stay cheaper and more robust than a full humanoid.
On the other hand, reports from China and elsewhere suggest that when the fit is good, humanoids can bring real gains. Industry news in heise and other outlets describes Walker S series robots improving efficiency on selected lines and moving toward mass production, with hundreds of intent orders from carmakers and logistics firms.
How jobs may change, not just disappear
In the near term, humanoid robots are more likely to change factory jobs than to erase them. When robots lift heavy loads, humans can spend more time on system‑level tasks: checking quality on difficult parts, adjusting processes, training new staff, or managing fleets of robots.
For workers, the key risk is not that robots appear overnight, but that those who cannot work with them may be left behind. People who can read data dashboards, understand how automated lines fit together, and talk clearly with both engineers and operators will be in a stronger position than those limited to one narrow manual task.
Metameha has already followed other humanoid projects, such as a Gobi Desert race where Robot Era’s Star1 used sneakers to win, and EngineAI’s SE01 prototype that targets natural walking and real factory work. Together, these stories show that humanoid robots are moving steadily from labs and stages into real, if still limited, industrial roles.
Sources & related information
South China Morning Post – Humanoid robot could recharge China’s manufacturing labour shortage – 2024
Coverage in the South China Morning Post details how UBTech received over 500 orders from automakers for Walker S1 and how the robot is already training in factories including BYD, framing it as part of a broader response to labor gaps.
UBTech – Walker S series industrial humanoid solutions – 2024
UBTech’s official Walker S series industrial humanoid solutions page outlines Walker S1’s core specifications, including its height, weight and payload, and lists industrial tasks such as parcel handling, quality inspection, screw tightening and part assembly.
Heise / industry reports – UBTech prepares mass production of Walker S series – 2025
Industry news in heise and other outlets describes UBTech’s plans for large‑scale delivery of Walker S series robots, notes pre‑orders from automakers and logistics firms, and reports on pilot projects that improved efficiency in Chinese car plants.
UBTech’s Walker S1 begins factory work at BYD – Interesting Engineering, 2024
A report in Interesting Engineering describes how UBTech’s Walker S1 humanoid robot has started manual work at BYD, explains its factory tasks, and links the deployment to China’s manufacturing labor shortage.
