Shanghai Kepler Robot Co., Ltd. unveiled its humanoid robot K2 “Bumblebee” at the 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) in Hangzhou, underscoring China’s growing influence in humanoid robotics and technological innovation. The annual event gathered more than 7,000 experts, researchers and industry representatives, marking one of the largest robotics gatherings worldwide.
At the conference, Kepler’s K2 “Bumblebee” demonstrated lifelike motion and interaction, performing gestures such as waving and giving a thumbs-up. The humanoid’s fluid walking and balanced posture were achieved through a hybrid actuation system combining roller screw linear and rotary actuators, allowing a natural straight-knee gait and precise motion control. Kepler said these engineering advances reflect years of development aimed at mimicking human mobility.
The robot’s control capabilities were enhanced through reinforcement learning and GPU-accelerated simulation, enabling thousands of models to be trained across varying conditions. Kepler said this approach helps close the gap between simulation and real-world performance, refining the robot’s stability, speed and energy efficiency. The company’s Isaac Gym and MuJoCo-based training systems were also demonstrated to illustrate progress in large-scale parallel learning.
Alongside the hardware showcase, Kepler Robotics launched its open developer platform to accelerate humanoid robotics innovation. The platform integrates motion control APIs, perception-decision-control tools and digital twin simulation environments. Developers can create and test applications virtually before deployment, enabling faster iteration and reducing hardware wear. The company said this “full-stack openness” aims to foster a global community around humanoid robotics.
To support collaboration, Kepler introduced the Lighthouse Program, designed to connect developers and industrial partners in co-developing solutions. The initiative provides access to technical resources and funding pathways to commercialize new applications. Kepler said it remains committed to bridging academia and industry, driving humanoid robotics toward wider adoption across research and practical domains.
Source: PR Newswire