Industrial & SMB robotPilot only
Kepler Robotics K2 'Bumblebee'
A $34,000 'mass-produced' humanoid — where claims and verification part ways.
We haven't tested this machine hands-on, so this profile carries no rating — every fact below traces to the sources at the end, and the judgments are clearly ours. Full methodology on the Robot Tracker.
At a glance
- Status
- Pilot onlyWorking in partner facilities — you can't buy one
- Can you buy it?
- Yes
- Price
- List RMB 248,000 (~$34,000), B2B
- Form factor
- Bipedal humanoid (industrial)
- AI brain
- In-house (hybrid architecture, 100 TOPS onboard)
- Maker
- Kepler Robotics (China)
- Backing
- Reportedly controlled by A-share-listed Tao Motor via acquisition
Kepler's K2 'Bumblebee' is this tracker's best case study in reading robot announcements. The company's claims are bold: the 'world's first commercially available hybrid-architecture humanoid,' mass production started September 2025, units 'shipping to customers,' framework agreements for 'several thousand' units — all at a genuinely disruptive RMB 248,000 (~$34,000) list price for a full-size industrial humanoid with 8-hour runtime and a 30 kg dual-arm payload.
What independent verification supports is narrower: the strongest confirmed signal is K2 units in real-world testing at an SAIC-GM auto plant in Shanghai, and a deployment registry that reviewed the evidence rates the K2 at pilot maturity — noting zero named end customers and that framework agreements are intent, not booked orders. Kepler is also now reportedly controlled by A-share-listed Tao Motor. The robot and price are real; the 'mass production' is, so far, a claim. We list it as a pilot and will upgrade the status when named customers appear.
What's real
- • An aggressive, published list price (~$34,000) for a full-size industrial humanoid with credible specs (8 h runtime, 30 kg dual-arm payload, proprietary roller-screw actuators)
- • Verified real-world testing at an SAIC-GM plant — a real automotive proving ground
Know before you watch (or buy)
- • 'Mass production' and 'shipping' are company claims with zero named end customers; independent registry review rates it pilot-stage
- • Framework agreements for 'several thousand units' signal intent, not orders — a distinction this industry blurs constantly
- • Corporate control reportedly changed hands (Tao Motor acquisition) — watch for strategy shifts
The evidence
Verified: real-world testing at an SAIC-GM plant (Shanghai). Claimed but unverified: mass production, customer shipments, and 'several thousand' units in framework agreements.
Sources: Robotics Tomorrow · DEPLOY registry
Bottom line
Potentially the price-disruptor of industrial humanoids — and currently the clearest example of why this tracker assigns status from evidence rather than press releases. If SAIC-GM or anyone else converts testing into a named order, the K2 jumps several rungs; until then, it's a very promising pilot.
FAQ
Is the Kepler K2 really in mass production?
That's Kepler's claim — announced September 2025 at RMB 248,000 (~$34,000), with 'framework agreements for several thousand units.' Independent review tells a more modest story: the strongest verified evidence is K2 units in testing at an SAIC-GM plant in Shanghai, with no named end customers, which is why deployment registries (and we) rate it pilot-stage rather than shipping.