On the 4th (local time), in Barcelona, Spain, in front of the UNITREE exhibition booth at the world's largest mobile exhibition, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, the humanoid robot 'UNITREE G1' was strolling through the aisle. When a visitor raised their hand to greet it, the robot responded by lifting its hand high.
UNITREE G1 is a robot about 130 cm tall that walks on two legs and can move simple materials instead of people. It can carry a maximum weight of 2 to 3 kg and has a walking speed of 3.3 m per second. While it is not yet capable of lifting heavy materials, it has succeeded in achieving an average walking speed of 4 to 5 km/h, which is faster than that of an average person. Advanced bearings are applied to the robot's joints, enabling it to perform various movements, such as dancing or waving a stick. Equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), it can recognize surrounding objects and avoid obstacles. A UNITREE official noted, 'UNITREE G1 will be supplied to factories and hospitals at a price of $16,000 (about 23.35 million won) to transport items instead of people.'
Various robots attracted the attention of visitors at MWC 2025. From humanoid robots that transport items instead of people to robots that play Go and robotic pets that respond to human gestures, they showcased the potential of the future robot industry.
Honor recently launched the AI robot brand 'PAXINI' and showcased various robot products at the MWC 2025 exhibition. The product that attracted the most interest from visitors was the 'robot hand.' This product can recognize human hand movements and follow them exactly. When a visitor made the gesture for 'rock, paper, scissors' in front of the robot hand, it promptly mimicked the action. With several joints, it can perform delicate movements, easily picking up small, round objects like ping pong balls.
Honor also exhibited the AI robot 'Sensor Robot' that plays Go with humans. When a visitor placed a black stone on the Go board, the Sensor Robot predicted the next move and preemptively blocked the path with a white stone. The Sensor Robot engaged in back-and-forth play with the visitor for more than 20 moves and ultimately secured victory.
The AI robot pet 'Luna' displayed by Honor reacted by smiling with its eyes on a screen located on its face when a visitor waved their hand. When the visitor waved their fingers and said, 'Come here,' Luna quickly approached and showed affection. Honor explained that this product was developed for consumers who are unable to raise real pets.
At the booth of the Middle East's largest telecom company e&, the humanoid robot 'Amira' welcomed visitors instead of people. Amira, equipped with AI, features language capabilities at the level of a high-performance chatbot. When greeted with 'hello,' Amira responded, 'Nice to meet you, how is your day going today?' e& has enhanced the original model of Amira, launched at MWC 2024, by adding skin and hair to give it a lifelike appearance. Amira can express human-like facial expressions and gestures, allowing for natural communication. It is expected to be deployed in key facilities to guide visitors.
LG Uplus displayed the humanoid robot 'Alice,' developed in collaboration with the domestic corporation 'AI Robot,' at the entrance of its exhibition booth. After asking visitors quiz questions, Alice presented them with an item by hand if they answered correctly. Alice is equipped with the AI model 'IXI' developed by LG Uplus. Using IXI, Alice engages in simple conversations with visitors and poses for photos together. An LG Uplus official noted, 'Once commercialization occurs, it will be supplied to various industries in the future.'
The global robot market is experiencing rapid growth alongside AI. According to market research firm Stocklytics, the global AI robot market is projected to grow by 280% by 2030, reaching a size of $64 billion (about 93 trillion won). OpenAI, a leading company in the field of generative AI, is also reported to be pushing forward the development of humanoid robots that apply its own models, which is raising expectations in the market. An industry official said, 'As the robot market is expected to grow rapidly, various corporations are introducing robots at MWC this year compared to last year.'