A robotics company in Shanghai named DroidUp, also known as Zhuoyide, has unveiled Moya, a humanoid robot hailed as the world’s first fully biomimetic intelligent machine. Moya is a groundbreaking creation in social robotics, designed to mirror human appearance and behavior closely. Standing at 1.65 meters tall and weighing 32 kilograms, Moya possesses proportions similar to an adult human and features skin that regulates a temperature range akin to humans’. Its walking capability reportedly mimics natural human movement by achieving a remarkable 92 percent similarity in gait. This is made possible by an enhanced Walker 3 chassis and lightweight, lattice-structured “muscles” that enable seamless and fluid motion.
Moya is not only physically realistic but is also powered by advanced embodied AI technology, enabling real-time perception, reasoning, and interaction in dynamic environments. The robot can convey emotions by smiling, winking, nodding, making eye contact, and displaying subtle facial micro-expressions, offering incredibly lifelike social interactions. Videos shared by the South China Morning Post and Shanghai Media Group demonstrate Moya engaging in natural conversations and gestures, sparking widespread online discussions on the future of human-robot interactions.
Unlike many humanoid robots designed for industrial tasks, Moya is specialized for roles that emphasize emotional connections, including elder care, education, and commercial environments. Its adaptable design allows for customizable appearances to cater to a variety of applications where social interaction is crucial. While some have found Moya’s realism slightly disconcerting due to the “uncanny valley” effect – where the robot’s likeness to a human is so close that it appears unsettling to some observers – others view it as a significant milestone in the field of robotics.
Expected to debut in the market by late 2026 with an initial price of around ¥1.2 million (approximately $160,000), Moya represents China’s increasing determination to advance in the creation of lifelike, socially aware machines.
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