Shanghai Kepler Robot introduced its latest industrial-grade humanoid robot, the K2 “Bumblebee,” at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2025 in Atlanta . The company demonstrated the robot’s autonomous operational capabilities during the event, which attracted professionals from across the global robotics sector.
Among those visiting the Kepler booth were Jim Fan, Senior Research Scientist at NVIDIA, and Hesheng Wang, General Chair of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). They discussed the development trajectory of humanoid robotics and potential strategies for scaling deployment in industrial contexts.
The K2 “Bumblebee” was showcased interacting with attendees, navigating autonomously through the venue, and engaging with other robotic systems. The robot stands 175 cm tall, weighs 75 kg, and is equipped with 52 degrees of freedom and over 80 sensors. It features onboard computing capabilities of up to 100 TOPS, allowing for autonomous task execution in structured environments.
The robot incorporates Kepler’s proprietary planetary roller screw actuators, designed to reduce energy consumption and enable smoother motion. According to the company, the K2 can carry up to 15 kg per arm or 30 kg with both arms and operates for up to eight hours on a one-hour charge. Its rotary actuators reportedly provide millimeter-level precision, supporting tasks requiring fine motor control.
Each of the robot’s Dexterous Hands includes 11 degrees of freedom, 25 force-sensing contact points per finger, and a 6-axis force/torque sensor at the wrist, enabling a range of manipulation tasks applicable to industrial operations.
Kepler states that over 80% of the robot’s core hardware is developed in-house, which the company claims supports vertical integration and enhances supply chain resilience. The base price of the K2 “Bumblebee” is $30,000, with Kepler estimating the robot’s productivity at approximately 1.5 times that of a full-time human worker in comparable conditions.
Initial deployment trials are underway across various industrial settings. Kepler is targeting applications in intelligent manufacturing, logistics, niche industries, research, and education. The company aims to focus first on sector-specific use cases before expanding to broader applications. Kepler’s commercialization strategy includes expanding partnerships across the robotics supply chain to support the transition from prototype to scaled deployment.
Market forecasts cited by the company, including projections from Goldman Sachs, anticipate the integration of humanoid robots into manufacturing environments between 2024 and 2027.
