SZ robot enlivens Media Day at China Pavilion at Osaka Expo

Visitors to the China Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo in Japan were greeted by a Walker C humanoid robot Monday. Developed by Shenzhen-based UBTECH Robotics, the robot provided intelligent tour guide services.

A promotional poster features UBTECH's Walker C humanoid robot, showcased as a smart tour guide for the China Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Photo from WeChat account "蛇口消息报"

The visitors were invited to the Pavilion for the China Media Day event, which offered a preview of the Pavilion’s exhibitions, architectural design, and planned activities.

During the expo, which will open Sunday, the Walker C humanoid robot will interact with visitors at the south plaza of the China Pavilion, offering intelligent tour guide services and human-robot interaction experiences.

According to UBTECH, the only humanoid robotics partner of the China Pavilion at the expo, Walker C stands at 163 centimeters tall, weighs 43 kilograms, and has 20 degrees of freedom. It can run stably at a speed of 6 kilometers per hour and is equipped with agile obstacle avoidance, stable slope climbing and descending, and anti-interference capabilities. 

It can provide services such as welcoming guests, guiding tours, advertising, and interactive entertainment in commercial settings like exhibition halls and office buildings, according to the company.

The robot made its debut in Hong Kong in March this year. Its high-dynamic running technology, smooth motion control, and rapid response capabilities have attracted widespread attention.

Apart from Walker C, the company will also bring Wukong — a portable intelligent robot that has built-in AI and can communicate intelligently and dance — to the expo. 

At the 2020 Dubai Expo, UBTECH’s proprietary Panda Robot and Walker X, its large humanoid service robots, made their official appearance at the China Pavilion. 

A corner of the China Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Xinhua

During the Osaka Expo, the mythological figure Sun Wukong, widely known as the Monkey King, will also make an appearance at the China Pavilion. This version of Sun Wukong is powered by a next-generation cognitive intelligence model developed by Chinese information technology company iFlytek. It integrates cutting-edge technologies such as robust noise-resistant speech recognition, multi-emotion voice synthesis, and multimodal interaction.

Visitors will be able to engage in interactive Q&A sessions with Sun Wukong in Chinese, Japanese, and English, gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.

An exterior view of the China Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Xinhua

One of the highlights of the exhibition at the China Pavilion will be samples brought back from the moon by the Chang'e 6 lunar probe.

Visitors will have the opportunity to observe the distinct structures of the lunar samples and the subtle differences between both sides of the Moon through a specially designed lens installation. 

The Osaka Expo 2025 opens to the public Sunday and runs until Oct. 13.