UBTECH Walker S2 Humanoid Robot Impresses With Tennis Rally

A new video from Chinese tech company UBTECH Robotics shows its Walker S2 humanoid robot playing tennis against a human with smooth, coordinated strokes that look almost like a professional rally. The robot holds a racket, tracks the ball, moves around the court, and returns shots in a brief but impressive demonstration of perception, balance, and motion control. Tennis requires early ball detection, stability, precise positioning, and timing, all of which the Walker S2 appears to handle with fluid movement, though the clip is heavily edited. UBTECH introduced the Walker S2, an industrial humanoid capable of performing autonomous tasks and operating continuously with battery swapping. It is not clear whether the tennis demo reflects genuine autonomous skill or choreographed footage, but it highlights rapid progress in robotics toward dynamic real-world interactions.

Digital Trends, Trevor Mogg – Meet the humanoid robot that plays tennis (almost) like a pro – 4th January 2026