Chinas Unitree unveils Superman robot as fervour builds ahead of Shanghai debut

New DelhiAug 18, 2026 08:56 AM IST A Unitree booth at a robotics convention in Tokyo, May 29, 2026. Unitree Robotics wants to raise about $900 million in an IPO that tests market interest in humanoid robots, a technology that wows but has yet to prove its viability. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times) China’s Unitree unveiled a new high-speed robot it dubbed “Superman” on Monday, days before becoming the first general-purpose robotics company to list on mainland China’s stock ⁠market. Unitree, ​the world’s biggest humanoid-robot maker by sales, will start trading in Shanghai on Wednesday after raising 6.1 billion yuan ($905 million) in an initial public offering last week.The company, based in the eastern Chinese tech hub of Hangzhou, ​said ​it developed the new robot in just ⁠over three months. It achieved a standing jump of 2 metres and reached a top speed of 12.66 metres ‌per second. The Shanghai debut coincides with the opening of the World Robot Conference in Beijing, adding to investor attention on a company whose humanoid robots have drawn global notice for running, dancing and performing martial arts. The IPO was more than 8,000 times oversubscribed by retail investors, a record for Shanghai’s tech-focused STAR Market. In ⁠a social-media post last ⁠week, Unitree said it had cumulatively produced and delivered about 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots across multiple models as ⁠of July. Derivatives market points to strong debut Unitree said the robot ​remained a work in progress and could be ‌improved further in coming months.Story continues below this ad Founder Wang Xingxing gained national prominence after securing a front-row seat at a summit hosted ‌by Chinese President Xi ​Jinping for ​leading technology ​entrepreneurs last year. The startup is also backed by some of China’s most influential technology companies including Tencent, Alibaba, and ​DeepSeek. Ahead of Unitree’s Shanghai listing, derivative trading in offshore ⁠markets has pointed to a strong debut. Its shares may also benefit from a broader recovery in Chinese technology stocks following last month’s selloff.Story continues below this ad The ‌STAR50 Index ⁠has rebounded about 15% from a three-month low hit in early August. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd