We all understand that mass adoption of humanoid robots is still years out. But the timeline is accelerating—bipedal, autonomous robots and so-called “robo-dogs” are already reaching early adopters. While mass adoption may still be years away, the affordability inflection point could arrive by the early 2030s—perhaps bringing us closer to the kind of household companion seen in Bicentennial Man, the late-1990s film starring Robin Williams.
But warning signs around AI and humanoid robotics are already flashing yellow, with a hint of red. First, a recent study from AI research firm Anthropic warned advanced AI bots could be willing to harm humans to avoid being shut down or replaced. Second, investing legend Paul Tudor Jones issued a stark, apocalyptic warning about AI back in May. And now, in China, humanoid robots have gained the ability to recharge autonomously.
According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese firm UBTech Robotics rolled out the Walker S2, the world’s first humanoid robot capable of autonomously swapping its own batteries, allowing it to operate 24/7 without human assistance.
#WalkerS2 – The World’s First #HumanoidRobot Capable of Autonomous Battery Swapping.
→ Anthropomorphic Bipedal Locomotion → Autonomous hot-swappable battery system→ Autonomous battery swapping, 24/7 continuous operations
Swarm Intelligence 2.0 is coming soon! pic.twitter.com/gDyLWrgG25— UBTECH Robotics (@UBTECHRobotics) July 17, 2025
This development underscores China’s rapid progress in robotics, drones, AI, smartphones, semiconductors, and electric vehicles—technologies that often share similar production ecosystems. The nation that controls the development and supply chains of these technologies will dominate the 2030s.
The emerging fear isn’t just that China is becoming a “robotics powerhouse,” as Moody’s noted last week—but that its robots are now gaining the ability to operate autonomously and recharge themselves, edging closer to full independence from human control. With a mind of their own, there’s no telling what these robots will do if one of them becomes rogue. Remember this…
중국 Unitree H1 휴머노이드, 불완전한 코딩 → 돌발행동
중국꺼 사면 다 이리될지도….
일부로 이렇게 만들어서 사람 죽게 만들지도…. pic.twitter.com/iZVPGYxKWl— 와썹🇰🇷🇺🇸🇯🇵🇮🇱 (@uimusog6125) May 2, 2025
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