From tea-making to quick health check, SM Lee gets a taste of what China’s robots have to offer
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Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong shaking hand with a robot as he tours the Shanghai Municipal Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator on May 21.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
- Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong toured Shanghai's Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator on May 21, seeing advanced robots perform tasks.
- Chinese robotics firms and the Shanghai incubator plan expansion into Singapore, with Unitree conducting trials by 2026 and an incubator branch opening by October 2026.
- Mr Rong Guoqiang anticipates huge demand for humanoid robots across Asia, aiming for Chinese firms to partner with Singaporean companies for innovative services.
AI generated
SHANGHAI – It took a few seconds to respond to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s voice command but slowly and surely, the diminutive robot took a step forward and extended an arm for a handshake.
Made by Unitree Robotics, one of China’s leading humanoid robot makers, the robot was one of several human-like machines that SM Lee interacted with on May 21 as he got a glimpse of a rapidly developing technology that will soon be deployed more widely in Singapore.
During a tour of the government-backed Shanghai Municipal Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator, SM Lee was also served a freshly brewed cup of tea and given a health check, all of which were done by other humanoid robots imbued with artificial intelligence smarts.
Singapore, which has been making its own push towards robotics and physical AI, could soon benefit from China’s expertise and dominance in this field as Chinese companies look abroad for future growth.
Unitree, for instance, is one of eight firms that will be conducting large-scale trials at Punggol Digital District in the Republic’s largest smart robotics test later in 2026.
In a Facebook post on his visit to the Shanghai robotics incubator, SM Lee said: “Robots and AI are rapidly advancing and transforming how we live and work. It can also improve our quality of life by doing tasks that would otherwise require people and resources.
“To reap the benefits we have to update ourselves, upskill, adapt, and embrace new technologies. Then we remain relevant to the world and keep Singapore special.”
The incubator has plans to set up a branch office in Singapore as early as October 2026, to take advantage of the Republic’s hub status and lay a path for Chinese robotic companies expanding internationally.
Apart from Singapore, the incubator will have a branch office in Hong Kong set up by June. It also has plans to set up an overseas office in Malaysia.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong being served a freshly brewed cup of tea by a humanoid robot imbued with AI smarts.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
“We believe that future market demand for humanoid robots in Asia and the South-east Asian region is huge,” said Mr Rong Guoqiang, general manager of the Shanghai incubator, noting their potential use in factories, medical facilities, educational institutions, and, eventually, in homes across the region.
“We hope to bring some of our domestic enterprises to Singapore. But bringing them over doesn’t just mean placing them there. We hope they can contribute and provide valuable services,” Mr Rong told the Singapore media on the sidelines of SM Lee’s May 21 visit.
“We hope these companies, together with our incubator, can pair up with local Singaporean companies and local professionals to form new types of companies and create innovative services,” he added.
