Household Robot Ready to be Tested, Can Cook to Clean

SeeLight S1 demonstrates the ability to dry clothes at the launch in Wuhan, Hubei Province, May 20, 2026. This humanoid robot is part of a trial project to use household robots in real residential environments initiated by Hubei Giga World Robot Co. (Photo: China Daily)

JAKARTA - A robot company from Wuhan, China, is preparing to test 100 humanoid robots in residents' homes. The goal is to make housework, from making the bed to washing clothes, can be done by robots.

According to a report by China Daily quoted on Monday, June 8, Hubei Giga World Robot Co will send 100 humanoid robots to ordinary households for free trials. The program is scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year.

A humanoid robot is a robot whose shape and movement are made to resemble a human. The version prepared by the company is called SeeLight S1.

In the company's promotional video, the SeeLight S1 is shown being able to make the bed, warm bread in the microwave, cook stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, pour milk, and arrange food on the table.

After the house residents left for work, the robot put clothes in the washing machine, tidied up the bathroom, cleaned the toilet, then cleaned "his hands" with wet wipes. He also hung laundry, folded clothes, tidied up the sofa and table, fed the fish, and watered the plants.

For many families, the job listing sounds like a costly pipe dream. But for the robot industry, the home is a far more complicated proving ground than the factory.

Ye Yun, a partner and vice president of research and development of Hubei Giga World Robot Co., was quoted by China Daily as saying that the SeeLight S1's intelligence lies in its ability to independently complete long, gradual, and meticulous homework.

"Its intelligence lies in the ability to independently complete long, gradual, and meticulous homework in an unstructured real home environment, not just mechanically repeating one action," said Ye.

According to Ye, the robot uses a physical-based model, namely an AI system that learns to understand the environment through the robot's body and sensors. In this way, the robot not only follows a fixed route or rigid command, but reads the environment, understands the situation, and then acts.

He said the SeeLight S1 can understand commands in everyday language. If the position of the furniture changes, the robot will recognize the room again, adjust the movement, and still complete the task.

"This robot also continues to learn through daily use and becomes smarter over time," said Ye.

Public interest is already visible. China Daily reported that the company's official WeChat account received more than 2,000 messages from residents who wanted to participate in the trial, although details of the program have not been announced.

One of the fans is a female worker who takes care of two children and elderly parents every day. He hopes that robots can help him have more time with his family.

There is also a couple aged 75 who live without assistance. They hope the robot can cook, clean the house, remind them of the schedule for taking medicine, and accompany them to talk.

Zhu Zheng, one of the company's founders and chief scientist, said trial participants would be selected to reflect real households with diverse family structures.

The company will also provide usage guides and feedback channels. With user consent, data while the robot is working will be collected to check functions, find disruptions, and improve the product. The company states that the data is only used for product research and optimization.

Morgan Stanley's report estimates that the global humanoid robot market could reach 5 trillion US dollars by 2050, with more than 1 billion units in operation. China is expected to be the largest user with 302.3 million units, followed by the United States with 77.7 million units.

According to the survey of the Hubei company, people consider the price of 50,000 yuan or about 7,388 US dollars to 100,000 yuan to be acceptable. The company expects costs to fall in one to two years as production increases.

Huang Quanzhou, the person in charge of operations at the Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, said the trial was important because it brought the robot out of the laboratory and factory into a real home. Homes have different layouts, small, fragmented jobs, and many distractions.

"This home environment is very different from the traditional industrial environment with fixed workflows," Huang told China Daily.

According to Huang, in one to three years, humanoid robots will first appear in high-end housing and nursing homes. After mass production pushes down prices and technology continues to evolve, robots like these can enter ordinary homes, such as refrigerators and washing machines.