A new service robot from China is drawing attention for combining humanlike interaction with practical workplace abilities.
Chinese robotics startup Noetix has unveiled Hobbs W1, a humanoid service robot designed for public facing professional environments. The company describes the robot as a “professional scene all-rounder” built to operate in real world settings such as offices, hotels, retail spaces, and educational institutions.
Hobbs W1 features a “female-styled” lifelike bionic head paired with an interactive display, giving it a friendly and approachable appearance. The robot is designed to handle reception and guidance tasks while interacting naturally with people.
The humanoid is equipped with 6 DoF hands and 5 DoF robotic arms, allowing it to perform gestures, hand over items, and complete light physical tasks. These capabilities place it beyond typical social robots that focus only on conversation and basic interaction.
Noetix says Hobbs W1 supports fully autonomous navigation. It can map indoor environments, move smoothly alongside people, and carry out reception and guidance duties with minimal human supervision. The robot is also capable of emotion recognition, natural conversation, and real time information synchronization, making it adaptable across different professional scenarios.
The company emphasized that Hobbs W1 is designed to support human workers rather than replace them. By taking over routine and repetitive tasks, the robot aims to extend human productivity while maintaining a personable presence.
Noetix has been gaining attention for its focus on cost effective humanoid robots. In October, the startup introduced Bumi, a child sized humanoid priced under $1,400, following a pre B funding round of nearly RMB 300 million, or about $41 million.
Bumi was priced at RMB 9,998, or around $1,380, placing it closer to consumer electronics pricing rather than the traditionally high cost of humanoid robots. Noetix attributed this pricing to in house development of key components, lightweight structural design using composite materials, and a fully domestic supply chain within China.
With Hobbs W1, Noetix is now targeting professional service environments, blending social interaction, mobility, and light task capability into a single humanoid platform.
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