Chinese Start-Up Unveils 13-Foot Robot Claiming 500kg Lift

Beijing (GNP): A Beijing-based technology start-up, NeodraDynamics, has unveiled a 13-foot (four-metre) humanoid robot that it claims can lift loads of up to 500 kilogrammes, a feat that could widen the use of robotics in heavy industry and hazardous environments.

The company said its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Neo1 was built to go beyond the physical limits of conventional human-sized robots. It weighs 1.2 tonnes and uses hydraulic actuators instead of electric motors to generate greater lifting force. According to the company, the combined payload of its two arms is comparable to the weight of a small car or a fully grown cow.

Founder Yang Tao framed the design as a deliberate break from imitation. He argued that robots should not merely copy human forms but exceed human physical limits.

The company also claims fingertip precision of 0.01 millimetres, which could allow delicate work such as threading a needle. It calls the machine a “superhumanoid robot” and says its long-term plans reach beyond industry to household use.

These capabilities remain unproven, however. NeodraDynamics has yet to demonstrate them in practice, and a display model at the industry fair showed only limited limb movements.

The launch comes as China pushes to lead global AI and robotics. Its latest five-year plan, approved in March, places AI-powered robotics at the centre of its economic strategy. The country already operates more than two million industrial robots, according to figures cited from its National Bureau of Statistics.

A report published last month by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) found that China accounted for 59 per cent of all new industrial robot installations worldwide. China is also home to more than half of the world’s humanoid robot manufacturers.

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IFR president Jane Heffner linked that position to a national robotics strategy begun ten years ago. She said the update under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030 aims to steer AI research towards practical uses, with robotics expected to play a major role in economic growth.

Humanoid machines still make up a small part of the market, though. About 7,000 were sold worldwide for industrial and professional use last year, compared with 603,000 industrial robots installed globally, according to the IFR.

Yang Tao said, “Robots should not merely replicate human forms but surpass human physical limits.”