Just when you thought the uncanny valley was getting a bit too cramped, Shanghai’s DroidUp has popped up with Moya—a humanoid robot designed to literally smile its way into your living room. Making its debut in Shanghai, Moya is all about the “soft touch,” capable of nodding, maintaining eye contact, and strolling around with a gait that’s almost worryingly natural.
The real genius here is the modularity; its entire appearance can be customised, like a high-tech, bespoke mannequin. But this isn’t just a pretty face. Beneath the swappable skin sits the brand-new Walker 3 chassis, the real star of the show. This platform is an evolution of the Walker 2, a bot that famously clinched third place at the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in Beijing. Talk about a pedigree.
DroidUp has clearly taken a few notes from its time on the running track. The new Walker 3 skeleton features beefed-up cooling and better stamina, thanks in part to new lightweight lattice “muscle” materials designed for more fluid, efficient movement. While the full spec sheet for the Walker 3 remains under wraps, its predecessor stood 5ft 7in (1.7 metres) tall, weighed a featherlight 30kg, and could hit speeds of 3 m/s.
Why does this matter?
DroidUp, now firmly established in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Robot Valley, is making a sophisticated play for the consumer and service markets. While other firms are obsessed with warehouse logistics or chasing back-flipping bragging rights for social media, DroidUp is explicitly targeting elder care, companionship, and the daily domestic grind.
Moya represents a softer, more approachable vision for the humanoid future. The big question is: are we ready for a robot that doesn’t just help with the chores, but offers a bespoke, reassuring grin while doing them? If its underlying tech can outlast the competition on a marathon course, it might just have the endurance to find out.
