Overview

The Q1 comes from PrimeBOT, known as Qiyuan in Chinese, the robot brand of Shanghai-listed materials manufacturer Swancor. The small humanoid was announced in late 2025, with the official sales launch following in Shanghai on September 20, 2026. Delivery begins on October 1. The Q1 is aimed at families, schools, and developers—buyers for whom a humanoid has simply been too expensive until now.

Construction

At 88 centimeters tall and around 16 kilograms, the Q1 is roughly the size of a kindergarten child. It can be folded up and fits into a backpack. The arms each have four degrees of freedom, the legs six each, plus two in the waist, for a total of 22. The joints work with quasi-direct drives, each weighing just 260 grams and achieving a torque density of 85 newton-meters per kilogram. The housing can be individually customized via 3D printing; from the factory it comes in gray, white, and pink.

Technology and AI

The entire body is force-controlled, designed to absorb impacts and make interaction with children safer. To this end, the Q1 combines language, image, touch, posture, and spatial recognition. PrimeBOT provides developers with an open SDK and HDK; additional hardware can be connected via USB, a network connection, and a 12-volt input. Information on runtime and speed is not yet available.

Market Significance

At 19,999 yuan, the price makes the Q1 one of the cheapest operating humanoids available. Behind the brand stands AgiBot: The industrial humanoid manufacturer took control of Swancor in 2025. The division of labor is clear—AgiBot serves industry and commerce, PrimeBOT serves the consumer market. Whether there are already enough meaningful applications for a small humanoid in the living room remains to be seen. The Explorer Edition at 26,999 yuan therefore deliberately targets developers who want to build these applications themselves.