Meet the humanoid robot that plays tennis (almost) like a pro

If you’re ever short of a tennis partner to knock a ball with, UBTECH Robotics’ Walker S2 humanoid robot could change everything.

A new video released by the Chinese tech company shows the Walker S2 humanoid robot wielding a tennis racket pretty much like a pro, moving around the court and hitting shots apparently with great skill and precision.

The footage plays at normal speed, and while it’s heavily edited, it does show the robot playing the ball back to its human opponent on the other side of the court in an impressive display of technological smarts.

Playing tennis is no easy feat for a humanoid robot. It has to see the ball early, get in position, select a shot, and remain balanced and upright as it swings the racket to connect with the ball.

But as we can see here, the Walker S2 robot’s tennis strokes look smooth and controlled.

It’s not clear if UBTECH is seriously positioning its humanoid robot as a tennis partner, or simply using it to show off its advanced capabilities. But with further development, there’s every chance that a faster, even more agile Walker S2 will be able to cover the court like a human athlete and give as good as it gets on a singles court. We might even see tennis added to the robot Olympics’ roster of events.

UBTECH unveiled the Walker S2 robot in 2024 as an advanced industrial humanoid robot featuring autonomous battery swapping for continuous operation.

The company last hit the headlines in November when it posted a video claiming to show the deployment of hundreds of Walker S2 robots, reportedly for roles in commercial and industrial settings. However, there was some controversy over whether the video was actually real. The company insisted it was genuine.

This year is expected to see even greater advancements in humanoid robotics, not only in agility but also AI smarts. Competition has been growing in the sector globally, with Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, Unitree, and 1X among a growing field of players aiming to make an impact in 2026.