National University of Defense Technology · research humanoid
Xianxingzhe
Pioneer
A 1.4 m, 20 kg biped from China's military technology university that walked at two steps per second; it later became an internet meme in Japan under the name 'Senkousha'.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 140 cmTaller than 29%
- Weight
- 20 kgHeavier than 9%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
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Why it matters
Described as China's first bipedal humanoid robot.
Real-world use
No customers or deployments reported yet.
Timeline
- First shown
- 2000-11-29
- Released
- Not yet
Maker
National University of Defense TechnologyUniversity lab · founded 1953 · Changsha, ChinaState-funded military university affiliated with the Central Military Commission; on the US Commerce Department Entity List since 2015
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Xianxingzhe (Pioneer) is taller than 29% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Xianxingzhe (Pioneer) is heavier than 9% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: speed, payload, joints, battery, price.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- 1,555 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Xianxingzhe)
- 2 news stories from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Hands
- none
- Movement
- Walks on legs
- Sensors & vision
- Visual sensors are mentioned in development history (work on coordinating hands, 'nervous system' and vision from 1989); no hardware detail found.
- Materials & build
- 1.4 m tall and 20 kg; walked at about two steps per second.
- Other details
- Development traced back to the 1980s after the team saw Japanese and US robots at Expo '85 in Tsukuba. In 2001 a Japanese parody site turned it into the 'Senkousha' meme, which spread through anime, games and fan works.
From the maker
Xianxingzhe (Pioneer) is the only humanoid from National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in the atlas.
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- Not published
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Built
- Not stated (research prototype)
- Sold or delivered
- Not sold; research robot
- Where it is sold or used
- National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China
News
The latest 2, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Samurai Damashii creator discusses Xianxingzhe parody's popularity
In an interview, Samurai Damashii's creator discussed the robot parody and reported peak traffic of 200,000 hits a day to its Xianxingzhe page.
INTERNET Watch (Impress) - China's first humanoid robot publicly debuts
China News Service reported Xianxingzhe's first public appearance at NUDT in Changsha on November 29, 2000.
China News Service
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every humanoid: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. How we choose
| Measure | No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useXianxingzhe (Pioneer)National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) | No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useGuRooUniversity of Queensland Mobile Robotics LaboratorySame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  H6University of Tokyo JSK Lab, built by Kawada IndustriesSame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots |  H7University of Tokyo JSK Lab (Inoue-Inaba Lab), built with Kawada IndustriesSame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2000-11-29 | 2002 | 2000-06 | 2001 |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 140 cm | 120 cm | — | — |
| Weight | 20 kg | — | — | — |
| Joints | — | 23 | — | — |
| Speed | — | — | — | — |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | — | — |
| Price | — | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use