-
The first fictional account of Robots first appeared in 1920. Czech playwright Karel Čapek was the first author to use the term “robot” in his 1920 science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), to describe artificial, humanoid workers
-
The word ‘robot’comes from the Czech word ‘robota’, meaning forced labour, drudgery, or servitude. Now the era of lifelike ‘human’ robots is more than a definite reality
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
BEIJING: Moya, new human-like robot has made its debut in China. The robot was unveiled by DroidUp in Shanghai and is being labelled as the world’s first fully biomimetic embodied intelligent robot.
The debut has sparked widespread discussion on social media about the future of robots in everyday life.
Videos shared by the South China Morning Post show Moya smiling, walking, nodding, and holding eye contact with a posture nearly identical to humans.
Moya’s Human-Like Design
Standing 1.65 metres tall and weighing 32 kilograms, Moya built by DroidUp, has near-adult human proportions. It walks with 92 per cent human-like posture with fluid social movements rather than raw industrial speed. It is designed for long conversations and social engagement
The robot features lightweight lattice “muscles”, can maintain body heat between 32 and 36°C and replicate subtle facial micro-expressions, making interactions feel lifelike. Moya also walks with accuracy, reflecting’s focus on fluid movements. These features place Moya way ahead of many humanoid robots that still appear stiff and mechanical.
Applications and Market Potential
DroidUp aims to position Moya for use in healthcare, elder care, education, and commercial spaces where personal interaction is key.
Unlike other robots built for heavy labour,. Moya’s focus centres on friendly behaviour to address emotional and companionship needs in environments such as care homes.
According to the South China Morning Post report, a market launch is expected in late 2026, with a starting price of approximately ¥1.2 million,
Implications for the Future
As humanoid robots become more lifelike, Moya raises questions about human-robot relationships.
Experts believe robots like Moya could transform service industries and healthcare and also give rise to debates on ethical interaction and social integration.
Moya’s debut highlights China’s growing role in advanced robotics and the potential for robots to occupy spaces traditionally dominated by humans.
In the past science fiction often paved the way for the world to move forward from imagined probabilities to tangible realities; in a sense that was almost like predicting the future.
Both Jules Verne “From the Earth to the Moon”, published in 1865, and HG Wells “First men in the Moon”, published in 1901, are just two such examples of looking ahead beyond time to a future that is now a thing of the past.
A little more than a century later, Neil Armstrong, part of NASA’s 3-man Apollo-11 mission, became the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Long before that, polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) made hundreds of designs and observations that predicted, or conceptually invented, technologies that would not become a reality for centuries.
These included aviation, warfare, anatomy, and engineering, often blending artistic observation with empirical, scientific inquiry.
Some fifteen years before the word “robot” was coined, Frank Baum conceptualized the idea of a robot in his 1907 children’s storybook “Ozma of Oz”, the first-ever introduction of a humanoid-like mechanical man called Tik-Tok. It was later made into a film “The Wizard of Oz”, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, the main protagonist of the story.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Pravasi Samwad. Pravasi Samwad is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented.
