China’s Unitree unveils ‘Superman’ robot as fervor builds ahead of Shanghai debut

SHANGHAI/BEIJING – China's Unitree unveiled a new high-speed humanoid robot called "Superman" on Monday, just days before the company becomes the first general-purpose robotics firm to list on mainland China's stock market. The company, based in Hangzhou, the eastern Chinese tech hub, will begin trading in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Unitree raised 6.1 billion yuan ($905 million) through an initial public offering (IPO) last week, making it the most oversubscribed tech-focused STAR Market offering, with retail investors seeking shares nearly 8,000 times.

The new robot achieved impressive feats, including a standing jump of 2 meters and a top speed of 12.66 meters per second. This debut is particularly noteworthy as it aligns with the opening of the World Robot Conference in Beijing, drawing even more attention to Unitree's innovative creations.

Unitree's success in the robotics sector has been well-documented, as the company has produced and delivered approximately 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots to date. Their accomplishments have garnered global recognition for their robots' abilities to run, dance, and even perform martial arts.

The founder, Wang Xingxing, gained national prominence by securing a front-row seat at a summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping for leading technology entrepreneurs last year. Unitree has secured backing from some of China's most influential technology companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, and DeepSeek.

Ahead of the company's Shanghai listing, derivative trading in offshore markets suggests a strong debut, potentially bolstered by a broader recovery in Chinese technology stocks following last month's market selloff. The STAR50 Index, a key indicator of China's technology sector, has rebounded around 15% since hitting a three-month low in early August.