ROBOTERA (Beijing Xingdong Jiyuan Corporation)

ROBOTERA, formally Beijing Xingdong Jiyuan Corporation, was founded in Beijing in August 2023. One fact sets it apart: according to available publications it is reportedly the only company in China's humanoid segment in which Tsinghua University holds an equity stake directly. The company was incubated by the university's Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, giving it an academic base rarely seen among young startups. This comes from industry write-ups rather than a registry document, so the word “reportedly” is justified. In October 2024 the company showed the Robotera STAR1 prototype, and in July 2025 it presented its second-generation humanoid, the RobotEra L7. In 2026 ROBOTERA appeared at WAIC in Shanghai alongside Zhiyuan/AgiBot, Unitree and Galaxy General, signalling a place at the front rather than the fringes. Data on funding, valuation and headcount has not been confirmed. The company is also described under its English name, Robot Era, in other roundups. The wider backdrop of this market is presented in “Chinese Humanoid Robots”.

ROBOTERA's portfolio covers two humanoids. The Robotera STAR1 is a prototype from October 2024: 171 cm tall, 63 kg, 55 degrees of freedom (DOF), a 20 kg payload and about 4 hours of battery runtime; in 2025 it set a running-speed record of 3.6 m/s. The RobotEra L7 is the second-generation flagship from July 2025, with similar dimensions — 171 cm and 65 kg — also with 55 degrees of freedom and a 20 kg payload, but faster, since the maker quotes 4 m/s. It is available for pre-order, with no stated price, and pilot projects are for now the only named use. The L7's runtime has not been given. Both machines belong to the humanoid robots category and target industry and research; for the Star1, assembly, quality inspection and in-plant logistics are listed, areas described in “Factories and manufacturing”. What degrees of freedom are is explained in “Degrees of Freedom (DOF) in Humanoid Robots”. Detailed specifications and prices are not available in an easily verifiable form. In both cases independent tests of payload and runtime are missing, so all figures are treated as manufacturer claims. Anyone wishing to compare these machines with other humanoids should look at service availability and prices, not just speed records.

ROBOTERA's position is best judged next to other Chinese makers. At WAIC 2026 the company appeared alongside AgiBot, Unitree Robotics and Galbot, which suggests that organisers and media treat it as one of the players that count. Direct counterparts to its humanoids include the Unitree H1 and the Fourier GR-1: machines of similar scale, aimed at research and pilots. ROBOTERA's strength is its tie to Tsinghua University, which provides access to talent and research results. Its weakness is the lack of public prices, independent tests and a customer list, which makes it hard to judge whether speed records are followed by real deployments. For a cost comparison of humanoids as a class, read “How Much Does a Humanoid Robot Cost in 2026”, and for forecasts of the segment's growth see “Humanoid Robot Market Forecasts”. In the company's favour is the pace: two humanoids shown in under a year, from an autumn 2024 prototype to a pre-order model in mid-2025. Against it is the lack of information on how many customers have actually received them.

The available sources contain no information on ROBOTERA distribution in Poland or Europe. We also know of no Polish universities or companies using these robots. From our standpoint this is a brand to watch, not an offer that can be ordered today. If you are looking for a research humanoid available in Poland, start with the Unitree Robotics series described in “Unitree H1, G1, R1 and H2”. Academic uses are covered in the university section. A practical tip for a Polish university: if you want a research humanoid, ask the supplier about technical support in Europe, documentation and access to software, because those decide usefulness after purchase. The effect of such machines on the local labour market is covered in “Humanoid Robots and the Polish Labor Market”.

ROBOTERA is a strong candidate with an academic backbone and two promising humanoids, but without prices or proof of deployments. It is worth following, but not worth planning a purchase around in Poland. For now only claims are certain, so caution is justified. For a Polish reader this is for now market knowledge, not a basis for a purchasing decision; we will return to the topic when prices and deployments appear.