At the MWC on March 6, 2025, China Mobile, Huawei, and Leju jointly released the world's first humanoid robot equipped with 5G-A technology, "Kuavo", which is not only a major breakthrough in the development history of humanoid robots, but also a catalyst for technological integration and social change.
1. Technological breakthroughs: 5G-A empowers humanoid robots and opens a new era of intelligence
5G-A is the latest advanced version of 5G technology, which features higher bandwidth, lower latency, and stronger connections. Based on 5G-A technology, humanoid robots can achieve high-precision positioning in large scenarios without additional equipment, which can enhance the reliability of multi-machine collaboration and expand the scope of application in industrial scenarios. In addition, 5G-A technology can break through the limitations of indoor Wi-Fi and allow users to remotely control humanoid robots in real time to meet the needs of performing complex tasks. The "Kuavo" humanoid robot weighs about 45kg, has 26 degrees of freedom in the body, can walk at a speed of up to 4.6km/h, and can jump quickly and continuously, with a jump height of more than 20cm. In terms of family scenarios, "Kuavo" can independently complete the whole process of tasks from scene understanding, natural language instruction recognition, and embodied planning of task planning, to embodied execution of two-arm collaboration, autonomous execution, and generalizable operation.
Figure: The world's first 5G-A humanoid robot "Kuavo" was launched
5G-A technology also brings significant improvements in computing speed and performance to humanoid robots. By reducing the hardware burden of the robot ontology, reducing the hardware cost of a single machine, and improving the computing and inference performance, "Kuavo" can complete various tasks more efficiently. The high-bandwidth capability of the 5G-A network supports large-scale data collection, providing rich training data for deep learning models for humanoid robots, accelerating the development cycle and enabling it to adapt to the diverse needs of multiple industries.
2. Industrial opportunities: The market has broad prospects, and the industrial chain has ushered in new opportunities
With the maturity of 5G-A technology and the wide deployment of base stations, the application scenarios of humanoid robots will be more abundant, and the market scale will continue to expand. According to Musk's prediction, the global humanoid robot market may reach 30 billion units, and the potential revenue of Optimus robots may exceed $10 trillion. A-share companies related to the supply chain of Leju Robotics are expected to benefit deeply. For example, Fujia shares provide various circuit board foundries for Leju robots; Hichain Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Leju Robot to jointly promote the development of intelligent logistics robots, automated warehousing systems and other technologies; Quan Zhibo, an automation subsidiary of Lander Technology, is expected to provide core joint module assemblies for Leju Robotics and deepen cooperation in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
Figure: China Mobile, Huawei, and Leju have collaborated to build a 5G-A Kuavo robot to empower multi-scenario applications
As of 14:12 on March 6, 2025, the CSI Robot Index rose 2.75%, the constituent stocks TZTEK Technology rose 15.56%, Keli rose 9.99%, Dahua shares rose 9.98%, and individual stocks such as Opt and Topband followed suit. The robot ETF fund rose 2.56%, hitting three consecutive gains. The latest price was reported at 1.08 yuan, and the intraday turnover had reached 65.2728 million yuan, with a turnover rate of 15.3%, and the market was actively traded.
Jianghai Securities said that as more humanoid robot companies enter the market, the technological iteration and cost reduction in this field will accelerate, promoting the launch of humanoid products that adapt to multiple scenarios. It is expected that the humanoid robot will be mass-produced next year, and the relevant enterprises in the industrial chain will gradually enter the benefit stage. The market is optimistic about the prospects of humanoid robots, believing that its development will drive the overall growth of the industrial chain, and related enterprises are expected to usher in performance improvement and market opportunities.
3. Social Challenge: Redefining the relationship between humans and machines
The development of humanoid robots will not only change the way we work and live, but also redefine the relationship between humans and machines. In industrial scenarios, humanoid robots can engage in dangerous and heavy work to improve production efficiency and safety; In the home scenario, humanoid robots can assist in housework, take care of the elderly and children, and improve the quality of life. However, the popularity of humanoid robots also brings with it some ethical and social questions, such as whether robots will replace human jobs, how to ensure that robots behave in line with human values, etc. These problems need to be seriously considered and solved while technology is developing.
4. Conclusion: Catalysts for technological convergence and social change
The release of 5G-A humanoid robots marks a new stage of technological integration and social transformation. It not only provides a solid technical foundation for the multi-scenario application of humanoid robots, but also promotes industrial upgrading and social progress. However, we also need to seriously consider and solve the ethical and social issues brought about by technological development while enjoying the convenience brought by technology, so as to ensure that technological development is in line with human interests and values.
The advent of the "Kuavo" humanoid robot is a sign of technological breakthroughs, industrial opportunities and social challenges. We look forward to the near future, humanoid robots can bring more benefits to human society, and at the same time, we also call on all sectors of society to pay attention to and respond to the challenges brought about by technological development.
