New Chinese Humanoid 'Moya' Enters Market
Chinese startup DroidUp has launched "Moya," a new consumer-facing humanoid robot. The launch represents a push to bring humanoid companions into homes, though its facial features have been described as unsettling, highlighting the ongoing "uncanny valley" challenge for designers.
- Moya is built on DroidUp's "Walker 3" platform, a more compact and lighter successor to the "Walker 2" which previously completed a half-marathon. The new chassis integrates cameras and LiDAR for autonomous path planning and is designed with a modular architecture that allows for swapping appearances. - The robot's design emphasizes biomimicry beyond just appearance; it maintains a body temperature between 89.6 and 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit (32-36°C) and is constructed with silicone skin over flesh-like padding and a ribcage structure to feel more lifelike. - DroidUp describes Moya as a "fully biomimetic embodied intelligent robot," built to perceive, reason, and act in the physical world, leveraging what the company calls multimodal emotional interaction models. - The Shanghai-based startup recently secured nearly 100 million yuan (approx. $14M USD) in a Pre-A+ funding round to accelerate the commercial application of its technology, with a focus on elderly care and emotional companionship. - With a projected price of around $173,000, DroidUp is initially targeting the healthcare and business sectors, with sales expected to begin in late 2026. - The launch comes as China's humanoid robot market is projected to grow significantly, with one report estimating it could reach $10.3 billion by 2029. In 2025, Chinese companies like AgiBot and Unitree accounted for over 80% of global humanoid robot installations. - Moya's gait is claimed to have 92% accuracy compared to human movement, a different focus from competitors like Tesla's Optimus, which leverages existing autonomous driving AI, or Figure AI, which has focused on industrial tasks with partners like BMW.
