Honor Unveils First Humanoid Robot at MWC Barcelona

Honor, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, is set to unveil its first humanoid robot on March 1 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, marking a significant expansion beyond mobile devices into physical AI hardware. The announcement, teased through social media videos showing a sleek, matte-black figure with a head-mounted camera and glowing chest light strip, positions the robot for consumer services such as shopping assistance, distinguishing it from industrial-focused models.

The robot's debut aligns with Honor's broader push into embodied AI, where machines integrate sensing, movement, and human interaction. Company representatives described the event under the theme "Believers in AI Future," emphasizing a shift from software-driven enhancements in phones and tablets to tangible robotic systems. A short teaser video depicted the humanoid bending and interacting smoothly, suggesting capabilities for safe operation in retail or public environments, including depth mapping and object recognition via forward-facing sensors.

This reveal will share the stage with the Honor Robot Phone, a smartphone prototype featuring a gimbal-mounted camera first teased last October. Honor...