Dobot Unveils AI Robotic Dinosaur, Expanding Robotics Beyond Factories

Shenzhen-based robotics company Dobot has unveiled a lifelike robotic Sinosauropteryx, a small, feathered dinosaur, in its latest push to broaden commercial applications of robotics beyond humanoid forms.

Credit: HANDOUT

The machine, powered by multimodal interaction, environmental perception, and motion-control technologies, can walk, breathe, emit low murmurs, and interact intelligently with its surroundings and visitors.

The Hong Kong-listed organisation aims this device at tourism and education markets, including museums, classrooms, and theme parks.

Credit: HANDOUT

Dobot chose Sinosauropteryx, discovered in 1996 in Chaoyang, Liaoning province, as its initial model due to its significance as the first feathered dinosaur fossil ever found. This dinosaur lived approximately 130 million years ago.

The company plans to reuse the same robotic core to create other ancient, mythological, or cultural figures by simply changing the exterior skin and appearance. The organisation did not disclose pricing or orders for the new model.

This initiative highlights how China’s robotics industry is seeking to diversify its applications and generate new revenue streams beyond industrial use.

While most large-scale deployments so far have been confined to manufacturing and logistics, companies are now testing the commercial potential of robots in consumer-facing sectors such as tourism, education, and entertainment.

However, most large orders continue to originate from manufacturing.

Shenzhen-based UBTech announced contracts worth a total of 158 million Chinese Yuan (USD 22.25 million) for its humanoid Walker S2 robots, which will be deployed for data collection and automobile production.

Shanghai’s AgiBot stated in August it would deploy nearly 100 Yuangzheng A2-W humanoid robots to the production lines of Fulin Precision, a major auto-parts supplier to BYD, Volkswagen, and Toyota.

In June, AgiBot and Unitree Robotics secured a combined 124 million Chinese Yuan in orders from China Mobile.

China remains the world’s largest robot producer, manufacturing 556,000 industrial robots and 10.5 million service units in 2024. These figures represent increases of 14% and 16% respectively.

Dobot, which started by making robotic arms, reported first-half revenue of 153 million Chinese Yuan, a 27% increase from the previous year. The organisation narrowed its losses by nearly a third to 41 million Chinese Yuan.

This financial improvement was primarily thanks to the significant growth in revenue from its six-axis cobot products.

Six-axis cobots, or collaborative robots, are articulated mechanical arms with six independent joints, providing human-arm-like dexterity. This flexibility makes them suitable for precision assembly, handling, and inspection tasks across a wide range of industries, from electronics to logistics.

Dobot entered the humanoid segment with its Atom model in March.

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• Dobot unveiled a lifelike robotic Sinosauropteryx to expand robotics applications beyond traditional forms.

• The AI-powered robot can walk, breathe, emit murmurs, and interact intelligently with its environment and visitors.

• The device targets tourism and education markets, including museums, classrooms, and theme parks.

Source: SCMP