Sony shuts down aibo robot dog, Shenzhen sells 13,361 adult companionship robots

Ubtech Unibot announced on June 30 in Shenzhen its consumer humanoid robot UWORLD U1 series. The U1 Ultra (male) is priced at 990k RMB, while the (female) version is 880k RMB. The company claims online and offline channel pre-orders have accumulated to over 13,361 units. The robot clearly does not do household chores and is sold only to adult users. Its only function is companionship. And just five days before that, Sony had announced the robot dog aibo would be discontinued in Japan.

(Background: Amid China’s falling birthrate, tens of millions are forced to “break up” with AI partners.)
(Additional context: Humanoid robots in China captured the lead globally with an 80% market share, but the only areas that are truly profitable right now are these two.)

Table of contents

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• Sony shuts down aibo — the fifth day
• The difference between 990k and 880k
• First batch sells out instantly
• The eyebrows are hand-planted
• RMB 46 billion thrown in—what lands first is loneliness

Key takeaways

• Ubtech UWORLD U1 series announced on 6/30: U1 Lite 1,198,000 RMB, U1 Pro 1,698,000 RMB, U1 Ultra (male) 990k RMB
• The company says all-channel pre-orders total 13,361 units, but the JD.com platform on 7/8 shows pre-sales of only 5,613 units; with a 3,000 RMB deposit, refunds are available in full with no reason and no conditions
• Ubtech sold only 1,079 units of its full-size humanoid robot in 2025; annualized capacity is over 6,000 units, with utilization below two-tenths

June 30, Shenzhen. A Japanese tech reporter stands at Ubtech’s 2026 global launch event, watching the figure on stage—neatly dressed, hair blown by the air, and its neck making slight turns—then writes his first reaction: in an instant, I thought it was a person.

What people in Japan’s tech circles were arguing about that day wasn’t the specs—it was the uncanny valley. The curve drawn by psychologist Mori Masahiro in 1970 says the more a machine resembles a human, the more likable it becomes—until a certain critical point, when favor abruptly flips into horror. For half a century, no one has dared to bet mass-produced products on the edge of that cliff.

But over the past two years, the battlefield for humanoid robots has been inside factories. Moving boxes, sorting, quality inspection—competing on who can replace human labor better. Tesla’s Optimus, Figure, and Hyundai Motor Group’s Atlas are all fighting the same battle.

But what Ubtech is selling this time is clearly stated in the product description: it doesn’t do household chores.

No sweeping. No cooking. No washing dishes. It’s only for adult users, and its only function is to keep you company.

Sony shuts down aibo — the fifth day

On June 25, Sony’s official website posted an announcement: the robot dog aibo ERS-1000 would stop sales in Japan once local inventory is sold out, while repair and subscription services would continue.

aibo is a pioneer in the robot dog segment. In May 1999, the first batch of 3,000 units sold out online in 20 minutes, with a unit price over $2,000. But over seven years, only about 150k units were sold—roughly one-tenth of Sony’s business plan estimate. In January 2006, the entire consumer robotics division, together with aibo, was cut. It was revived once in 2018, then ended again in 2026.

The difference between 990k and 880k

The UWORLD U1 comes in three models: the torso-only U1 Lite is priced at 1,198,000 RMB; the full-body U1 Pro is 1,698,000 RMB; the flagship U1 Ultra is 990k RMB for the male version and 880k RMB for the female version. The male version is 183 cm tall and weighs 42 kg; the female version is 168 cm tall and weighs 35.2 kg.

The male version is 110k RMB more expensive than the female version. The difference is 15 cm in height and an additional 6.8 kg in weight.

The official specifications are packed with details: 88 degrees of freedom, covering 90% of basic human actions, recognizing more than 20 emotions with accuracy over 90%. Its silicone skin creates pores, blood vessel and fingerprint texture. It can also replicate a specific person’s appearance and voice using 3D face reconstruction plus voice cloning.

Japanese media converted the male U1 Ultra to 23.76M yen directly, then added four characters: adult-only.

First batch sells out instantly

It went on sale on JD.com on June 2, reaching over 3,000 units in eight days. On the day of the June 30 launch event, CEO Zhou Jian announced that all-channel cumulative sales had surpassed 13,361 units. This figure is reported as a manufacturer-published number, not a third-party audited result.

aibo’s 3,000 units sold out in 20 minutes. Pepper from SoftBank was even more extreme: when the consumer version went on sale in June 2015, the first batch of 1,000 units sold out in 60 seconds. Five years later, SoftBank discontinued production, with total output of about 27,000 units.

Eyebrows are hand-planted

In 2025, Ubtech’s full-size humanoid robot sold 1,079 units for the year, generating revenue of 821 million RMB; that same year, total revenue was 990k RMB with a loss of 790 million RMB. And in 2024, the comparable shipment volume was just 3 units.

As of the end of 2025, the annualized capacity of this production line is over 6,000 units, with utilization below two-tenths. The announced pre-order quantity is more than twice the annual production capacity. And in a related factor: biobotic robots typically have 2,000 to 3,000 individual components per unit at the top end; the eyebrows, eyelashes, and skin texture rely on manual work, with no fully automated production line.

By July 8, JD.com showed pre-sale quantity of 5,613 units—adding fewer than 200 units after the launch event. Since a 3,000 RMB deposit can be fully refunded without reason, there is no breach-of-contract cost when canceling orders.

The market has already answered. On the day of the release, Ubtech’s stock price surged by as much as 18% intraday; on July 3, it rose again by nearly 18%. After criticism surged, on July 6 the stock suffered a daily plunge of 10.01%.

RMB 46 billion thrown in—what lands first is loneliness

This isn’t a single company’s high-stakes gamble; it’s the water level across the entire race track. In the first half of 2026, China’s embodied intelligence and robotics sectors saw 288 financing rounds, with disclosed amounts exceeding RMB 46 billion. Among them, the top 20 companies alone took in about RMB 33 billion.

With money this abundant, the first mass-produced deployment scenario wasn’t the factory—it was the living room.

Ubtech’s target customers are straightforward: urban singles, as well as fans of anime and otome games. A Japanese media outlet cited Chinese reporting saying the intended buyers are urban middle-class singles aged 35 to 50. This business is called “emotional spending.”

And just in July, China had only just pulled a batch of AI companion apps over the issue of declining birthrates, forcing millions to break up with their virtual companions.

When the software companionship is shut off, the hardware companionship is still shipping.

Ethical concerns are naturally coming too: robots may cause emotional dependence, functioning like a walking surveillance camera. Ubtech’s response is to establish an ethics committee, process data locally, and limit purchases to adults.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the UWORLD U1 humanoid robot cost? Can it do household chores?

U1 Lite is priced at 1,198,000 RMB; U1 Pro is 1,698,000 RMB. The flagship U1 Ultra is 990k RMB for the male version and 880k RMB for the female version. The official clearly states it does not assume responsibility for household cleaning, cooking, and other chores. Its positioning is home emotional companionship, and it is sold only to adult users.

Are the 13,361 pre-order orders credible?

This is the all-channel cumulative figure published by Ubtech itself, without third-party verification. On July 8, JD.com showed 5,613 pre-sale units, and the 3,000 RMB deposit can be fully refunded without reason. The actual成交 volume will only be confirmed after deliveries and verification starting September 16.