Mass-production of hospitality humanoid robots begins at Chinese firm

Chinese company Zerith Robotics has begun mass-producing its H1 service humanoid robots, scaling production to over 100 units per month within a year. Priced at approximately RMB 99,000 (around $13,600), the H1 is positioned at the lower end of the humanoid market, driving strong demand with orders exceeding RMB 100 million. The robots are already deployed in commercial settings across major Chinese cities like Beijing and Shenzhen, performing autonomous cleaning and sanitation tasks in shopping malls and other indoor public and enterprise locations. Distinct from general-purpose bipedal robots, the H1 features a wheeled base with a height-adjustable upper body and two articulated arms, optimized for indoor service and housekeeping roles. It uses advanced sensors including 3D LiDAR and depth cameras for navigation and obstacle avoidance, runs on the ROS2 framework, and offers up to four hours of continuous operation per charge. Zerith’s focus is on reliable, sustained task execution rather than experimental capabilities, signaling a transition