Ant Group
Ant Group is the Hangzhou-based financial technology company behind Alipay, and it entered humanoid robotics through its robotics unit Robbyant, formally Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology. Robbyant's first humanoid, the R1, is a wheeled robot with two arms that stands 1.6 to 1.75 metres tall, weighs about 110 kg and has 34 degrees of freedom. It is designed for service work such as cooking, acting as a museum or showroom tour guide, sorting medicine at pharmacies and supporting medical consultations. The R1 was unveiled in September 2025 at the Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai and at IFA in Berlin, and Ant says it is already in mass production, with customers including the Shanghai History Museum. Ant Group itself grew out of Alipay, launched in 2004, and took its current name in 2020. It is one of the world's largest fintech companies, and its robotics work draws on its artificial intelligence and cloud capabilities.
💡Notable Achievement: Originating from Alipay (founded 2004), Ant Group grew into one of the world’s largest fintech platforms and has publicly emphasized open-source collaboration and financial inclusion initiatives globally.
What Does Ant Group Do?
Ant Group, the Alipay operator, has entered humanoid robotics through Robbyant, whose R1 is a wheeled service humanoid demonstrated for cooking, tour guiding and healthcare tasks.
“A fintech giant applying its AI stack to service humanoids.”
AI & Cloud Backbone
Builds on Ant's artificial-intelligence, cloud and digital-infrastructure capabilities.
Service-Robot Focus
R1 targets cooking, item delivery, reception and medical-assistance scenarios.
Open-Source Culture
Ant Group has publicly emphasised open-source collaboration.
What Can Ant Group Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Wheeled dual-arm service humanoid for hospitality, guided tours and healthcare tasks.
Cooking & Serving
Robbyant R1 demonstrates a humanoid chef role with tray delivery and beverage serving.
Tour Guiding & Reception
Showroom guided tours and front-desk reception using SLAM navigation.
Medical Assistance
Medicine sorting and consultation demonstrations with dual tactile-sensing arms.
Full-Shift Runtime
Typical 8-hour continuous operation on a 2.3 kWh pack.
Ant Group Robots
Showing 1 Humanoid Robots of 1 total model
Robbyant R1
Manufactured by Ant Group
The Robbyant R1 a Humanoid Robot Chef, part of the R1 series, is designed to perform various tasks such as cooking, serving as a tour guide, sorting medicine, and providing medical consultations. It is equipped with advanced AI capabilities, allowing it to adapt to different environments and tasks. Demonstrations include cooking shrimp and assisting in pharmacies.
Ant Group Software & AI Ecosystem
Developer platforms, fleet management portals, autonomy intelligence, and enterprise integrations
Linux & ROS Stack
Standard Robotics Software
Linux and ROS-based control stack with SLAM navigation.
Ant Group AI Models
Language & Multimodal Intelligence
Robbyant uses Ant Group's AI capabilities for conversation and task understanding.
Ant Group Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Alipay launched
Alipay is established as the payment processing system for Alibaba, the business from which Ant Group grew.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Ant brand established
The Alipay business is rebranded under the Ant name, starting the company that later becomes Ant Group.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Renamed Ant Group Co., Ltd.
The company officially changes its name to Ant Group Co., Ltd.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Planned IPO suspended
Ant Group's planned US$34.5 billion listing, set to be the largest IPO in history, is suspended by the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Shareholding restructuring announced
Ant Group announces a restructuring that reduces Jack Ma's voting rights in the company from 50 percent to 6.2 percent.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Robbyant R1 humanoid unveiled
Ant's robotics unit Robbyant unveils its first humanoid, the wheeled dual-arm R1, at the Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai.
Source: scmp.com
Ant Group Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes Ant Group Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓Access to one of the world's largest fintech AI and cloud organisations.
- ✓Full-shift 8-hour runtime and dual tactile-sensing arms.
- ✓Diverse service scenarios from cooking to healthcare.
Core Strategic Focus
Demonstrating R1 across service, hospitality and healthcare pilots.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •Robotics is outside Ant Group's core payments business, and pricing is undisclosed.
- •Limited public evidence of commercial deployment volume.
Ant Group vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Category / Focus
- Ant Group
- Wheeled Humanoid
- Galbot Robotics Galbot G1
- Wheeled dual-arm service robot
- KEENON Robotics KEENON XMAN-R1
- Wheeled hospitality humanoid
- AgiBot AgiBot A2-W
- Wheeled humanoid for service
- Pudu Robotics D7
- Commercial semi-humanoid service robot
Primary Use
- Ant Group
- Autonomous item fetching, tray delivery
- Galbot Robotics Galbot G1
- Shelf restocking
- KEENON Robotics KEENON XMAN-R1
- Greeting guests, guiding visitors
- AgiBot AgiBot A2-W
- Workpiece loading and unloading
- Pudu Robotics D7
- Not listed
Weight
- Ant Group
- 110 kg
- Galbot Robotics Galbot G1
- 85 kg
- KEENON Robotics KEENON XMAN-R1
- 110 kg
- AgiBot AgiBot A2-W
- 230 kg
- Pudu Robotics D7
- 50–80 kg
Battery Runtime
- Ant Group
- 8 h
- Galbot Robotics Galbot G1
- 10 h
- KEENON Robotics KEENON XMAN-R1
- 3 h
- AgiBot AgiBot A2-W
- 5 h
- Pudu Robotics D7
- 3–5 h
| Strategic Dimension | Ant Group(Current) | Galbot Robotics Galbot G1 | KEENON Robotics KEENON XMAN-R1 | AgiBot AgiBot A2-W | Pudu Robotics D7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category / Focus | Wheeled Humanoid | Wheeled dual-arm service robot | Wheeled hospitality humanoid | Wheeled humanoid for service | Commercial semi-humanoid service robot |
| Primary Use | Autonomous item fetching, tray delivery | Shelf restocking | Greeting guests, guiding visitors | Workpiece loading and unloading | Not listed |
| Weight | 110 kg | 85 kg | 110 kg | 230 kg | 50–80 kg |
| Battery Runtime | 8 h | 10 h | 3 h | 5 h | 3–5 h |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Robbyant
Brand under which the R1 humanoid is developed.
Ownership & Acquisition History
Brand under which the R1 humanoid is developed.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
Ant Group Headquarters
HQHangzhou, China
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about Ant Group
Does Ant Group make humanoid robots?
Yes. Ant Group, the company behind Alipay, develops humanoid robots through its robotics unit Robbyant, formally Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology. Robbyant unveiled its first humanoid, the R1, in September 2025 and says the robot is already in mass production and delivered to customers.
What is Robbyant?
Robbyant is the robotics unit of Ant Group, registered as Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology. It develops embodied AI and service robots, and its first product is the R1 humanoid, a wheeled robot with two arms designed for work in kitchens, museums, pharmacies and healthcare settings.
What is the Robbyant R1?
The Robbyant R1 is a wheeled humanoid robot with two arms. It stands 1.6 to 1.75 metres tall, weighs about 110 kg, has 34 degrees of freedom and moves at under 1.5 metres per second. It is built for service tasks rather than walking on legs.
What can the Robbyant R1 do?
The R1 is designed to cook simple dishes, work as a tour guide in museums and showrooms, sort medicine in pharmacies and support medical consultations. At its launch, one R1 cooked in a demonstration kitchen, and the Shanghai History Museum is among its first customers.
When was the Robbyant R1 launched?
The R1 was unveiled in September 2025 at the Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, and it was also shown at IFA in Berlin that month. Ant Group said at launch that the robot had already entered mass production and been delivered to clients.
How much does the Robbyant R1 cost?
Ant Group has not disclosed a price for the Robbyant R1. The robot is sold to organisations such as museums and service businesses rather than to consumers, so pricing is arranged directly with Robbyant.
What is Ant Group?
Ant Group is a Hangzhou-based financial technology company best known for operating Alipay, which began in 2004 as Alibaba's payment system. The company took the name Ant Group in 2020 and also develops artificial intelligence, cloud and robotics technology.
How does Robbyant R1 compare with other service humanoids?
Like Galbot G1, KEENON XMAN-R1 and AgiBot A2-W, the R1 uses a wheeled base with two arms rather than legs, which suits flat indoor spaces. Its focus is on cooking, guiding and healthcare tasks, backed by the AI resources of Ant Group.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official Ant Group datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.