Overview

• R1, built by Robbyant (Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology Co.), was demonstrated cooking at IFA Berlin and showcased at the Inclusion Conference in Shanghai.
• The company has disclosed no launch date or pricing and is reportedly testing the robot in community centers and restaurants.
• Ant pitches use cases including kitchen assistance, caregiving companionship, medicine sorting, tour guiding, and basic medical consultation.
• The strategy centers on an AI model called BaiLing, with experiments training on domestic chips to cut costs and bolster Chinese tech independence.
• Videos from public demos show slow, limited movements, prompting cautious assessments as Ant enters a competitive field featuring Tesla’s Optimus and Nvidia’s tooling.