Humanoid robot shown on video playing tennis against a human

The humanoid is the Walker S2 by Ubtech Robotics. The video shows the robot holding a tennis racket and parrying shots, which are presumably from the human player on the other half of the court.

While the video is evidently heavily edited, the Walker S2 can be seen moving around its side. It assumes multiple positions and swings its racket in what appear to be controlled, fluid motions. The robot even executes a backhand shot.

Interestingly, the humanoid’s racket arm is missing digits, which is more noticeable near the end of the 43-second clip when it high-fives the human player using the hand with fingers.

Every tennis player recognises the complexity of hitting a moving target the size of a fist. The humanoid has to track the high-velocity tennis ball and coordinate its arm and leg movements to precisely send the projectile over the net. It must also maintain its balance while making all the movements appear fluid and human-like.

We have not been able to confirm whether the humanoid was operating autonomously or tele-operated, nor could we ascertain the final scores.

Ubtech claimed to have deployed the Walker S2 humanoid for commercial applications and even released a video, but there was controversy over its authenticity. Foxconn, Apple’s manufacturing partner, however, has revealed more concrete plans to put humanoids to work in 2026.

Robots have been dabbling in sports, including the ‘multi-talented’ Unitree G1, known for shooting hoops like a pro, performing kung fu moves, and preparing for a boxing match.