Qiyuan Robot Starts Selling Q1, T1 Personal Robots From 19,999 Yuan

Leiphone reported that cumulative shipments in the consumer embodied intelligence sector are about 30,000 units, with direct-to-consumer mass-produced robots almost nonexistent. It said research and development, mass production, supply chain and pricing have blocked most entrants.

Q1 is 88 centimeters tall with 22 degrees of freedom. It uses a self-developed QDD quasi-direct-drive joint, internally called an 'egg joint,' with precision close to industrial harmonic force-control joints. Q1 targets children, toy collectors and developers. For children, it supports graphical programming, embodied AI courses developed with Programming Cat, Youdao and Ximalaya, English question-and-answer and AI assistant functions. For collectors, it is the only humanoid robot in the segment that supports 3D-printed shells, using the PrimeFLOW platform to generate printable, assemblable shell structures from text or reference images. Its personality, custom actions, voice and tone can also be customized. The exploration edition costs 26,999 yuan and opens SDK, HDK, hardware extension interfaces and more than 100 atomic capabilities for full-stack secondary development. Q1 currently has no dexterous hand, and the interface remains open, Leiphone reported.

T1 is about 1 meter tall and uses a Transformer cross-form integrated architecture that can switch between wheeled humanoid and quadruped forms without human intervention, Leiphone and QbitAI reported. In wheeled form, indoor noise is below 43 decibels. Its arm interface supports an Insta360 camera, allowing stabilized mobile photography and effects such as a Hitchcock zoom. In quadruped form, it can climb stairs, 30-degree slopes and 15-centimeter obstacles, carry a small box and fold itself into a suitcase. It has nine sensors for 360-degree perception, automatically switches to quadruped form and lies down when battery falls below 5%, and returns to its 'Star Dock' charging station by itself. T1 is priced at 19,999 yuan, while the T1 Pro costs 29,999 yuan and adds an Nvidia Orin Nano chip, dual-form 360-degree obstacle avoidance, low-battery auto recharge, voice summon, following and carrying, and open secondary development interfaces.

Qiyuan Robot's parent, Shangwei New Materials, is a new materials company that supplies lightweight, high-rigidity composites. CEO Tian Hua said at the launch that the production line can roll out one robot every 2.5 minutes, a takt borrowed from the auto industry. The company has partnerships with Lens Intelligent for a 10,000-unit robot production line and with Wolong Electric Drive for core components, and is standardizing custom joints, structural parts and sensors. Qiyuan says it follows IATF 16949 automotive quality management, mobile phone 3C testing and mandatory home safety certification requirements. Leiphone reported that Shangwei New Materials invested 180 million yuan in R&D in the first half of 2026, including about 160 million yuan in embodied intelligence, and expects full-year R&D spending to exceed 500 million yuan. QbitAI, citing the half-year report, reported embodied AI R&D of about 164 million yuan, about 90% of total R&D, with a 180-person research team. The company posted first-half revenue of about 803 million yuan, no robot business revenue, and a net loss of about 167 million yuan.

At the launch, Qiyuan released three self-developed models: PrimeMotion, a motion and emotion model based on test data from more than 1,200 robots and 152 iterations of motion-control models; PrimeGo, a multimodal perception and following model; and PrimeVista, a multimodal interaction large model. Tian Hua said a PrimeMind foundation model for home scenarios, focused on long-horizon tasks, will be released by Qiyuan Research Institute. Leiphone observed demonstrations of a larger body using PrimeMind to fold clothes and take clothes from a washing machine. The company built three platforms: PrimeStore, an app store for robot skills; PrimeHub, a full-stack creation platform for developers; and PrimeFLOW, an AI creation platform for robot shells. Qiyuan says PrimeHub adds more than 100 skills a month and has more than 1,000 developer partners, including CSDN, Tencent WorkBuddy and DataWhale. Tian Hua described a three-layer revenue structure of hardware sales, content subscriptions and IP applications, and services.

Qiyuan calls Q1 and T1 personal robots, not household chore robots. QbitAI noted that companionship, interaction, following and user modification are the current selling points, while the PrimeMind home chore model remains in research and development. Tian Hua said the route is to 'start from being interesting' and gradually move toward being useful. Qiyuan Robot was formed after Zhiyuan Hengyue took control of Shangwei New Materials in 2025, with Deng Taihua as actual controller; Peng Zhihui, also known as Zhi Hui Jun, was elected chairman on Nov. 25 that year. Q1 was first shown on Dec. 31, 2025, and went on sale nine months later. The first authorized experience stores cover seven cities: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan and Xi'an, with a one-year warranty and a 24/7 hotline. Peng said, 'For me, the most interesting thing about a robot is not what it looks like when it leaves the factory, but what you can turn it into.' The company and industry still face questions over after-sales service, stability, user retention and the growth of the application ecosystem.

Editor's Summary Qiyuan Robot has started selling Q1 and T1 personal robots from 19,999 yuan, with deliveries beginning Oct. 1, an early test of mass-produced humanoid robots sold directly to consumers. Q1 emphasizes customization and development, while T1 switches between humanoid and quadruped forms for companionship and mobile use. The launch also tests whether Qiyuan can turn mass production, developer platforms and after-sales service into a viable consumer business.