For about the same price as a flagship smartphone, you could buy an affordable humanoid robot designed for educational and consumer use. Noetix Robotics, a Beijing-based startup, revealed its Bumi robot, which is priced at nearly 10,000 yuan, or about $1,400.
Unlike high-end robots, the budget-friendly Bumi stands about three feet tall and weighs about 26 pounds. You won’t find Noetix’s latest robot on assembly lines or in research labs, especially since first demonstrations It only shows Bumi walking and dancing. According to a Technological node reportBumi will offer a programming interface that will enable learning or creative tasks. The report also noted that Noetix plans to put the Bumi on pre-orders later this year. Prior to Bumi, Noetix Robotics demonstrated its expertise by competing in the world’s first robot half marathon with its N2 model, being one of four robotic competitors to complete the race.
At such a low price, Bumi beats another relatively affordable option that was announced earlier this year. In the summer, Unitree showed off its R1 robot, which starts at $5,900 and can perform complex tasks. While the Bumi sets a new price point to beat, both Noetix and Unitree offer more affordable options than Tesla’s Optimus robot, which was estimated to start at around $20,000.
