Remember the movie “I, Robot”? This terrifying fiction is slowly becoming reality. Home robots are now expensive, but widely available. Will “cleaning robots” become a regular part of every household in the near future? Right now, they are probably just a product for the wealthy, replacing housekeepers in their villas, but in 5-10 years, they may be part of many ordinary households.
Chinese robotics company UniX AI has unveiled the Panther, which it is presenting as the world’s first humanoid robot to enter real-world home use.
Panther is the third generation of a full-fledged wheeled robot with dual arms, and UniX AI has begun global deliveries.
The robot measures about 160 cm, weighs about 80 kilograms, and can work for 8 to 16 hours on a single charge.
According to the Suzhou-based company, its design focuses on usability and reliable performance in complex indoor environments, which is a significant step towards introducing universal humanoid robots into everyday life.
Stable Service Robot
Panther is a wheeled humanoid robot with bi-manual propulsion – designed for real-world deployment in homes, commercial and industrial environments – and features an omnidirectional chassis with all-wheel steering and all-wheel drive (4WS+4WD), enabling agile movement and stable operation in complex indoor environments.
According to UniX AI, the wheeled architecture represents a departure from the more common legged humanoid robot, which is combined with universal AI models to offer increased efficiency and practicality in deployment.
According to UniX AI, the robot has 34 high-freedom joints, including the first mass-produced 8-depth bionic arms and adaptive intelligent grippers that enable precise and flexible manipulation.
It is also equipped with cameras, sensors and audio input systems that support object recognition, indoor navigation and interaction with people.
The system is designed to perform multi-step tasks instead of isolated actions, allowing it to perform complete sequences of activities.
“With our integrated trio of algorithms, hardware and applications, we have already moved from lab validation to mass delivery and from local deployment to global expansion,” said Fred Yang, founder and CEO of UniX AI, in a statement.
Multi-Purpose Humanoid
In demos and early deployments, the robot has demonstrated its ability to handle a variety of household tasks. These include preparing meals, cleaning rooms, organizing household items and operating certain appliances.
It can also sort and move items as part of common household workflows.
The robot is designed to efficiently handle continuous sequences of tasks. For example, it can first wake the user in the morning, then prepare breakfast, then clean the kitchen and organize the living space, demonstrating coordinated, multi-stage task completion in a real-world home environment.
Developed from the Wanda 2.0 platform, Panther introduces a vertical upper body lift of 80 cm, enabling both increased reach and ground-level operation. It runs on an improved 48V power platform that provides higher performance and better stability for fast control and dynamic movements.
Panther is powered by an integrated UniX AI technology layer. UniFlex enables efficient task generalization across scenarios and imitation learning.
UniTouch combines visual-tactile multimodal models to improve manipulation accuracy and interactive capabilities with greater stability. UniCortex supports long-term task planning, allowing the robot to seamlessly perform complex, multi-step operations.
According to the company, the system is designed for a wide range of real-world applications.
These include commercial services such as hotels, reception, retail and guided tours; home and personal applications such as housework, senior care and social; and public or industrial roles including security patrols, research and education.
Experts say that home robots still face obstacles, including crowded environments, varying lighting and handling soft objects. Challenges in navigation, appliance interaction, battery life, cost, safety, and reliability remain.
However, robots performing multiple household tasks suggest that fully functional home assistants that can handle everyday tasks are gradually becoming a reality.
Main image: Screenshot – youtube.com/watch?v=D9Br0hD6jUw&t
