RAISE A1 (Yuanzheng or Expedition A1 in Chinese) was the first humanoid from Shanghai-based AgiBot, unveiled in August 2023, six months after the company was founded. It was a bipedal platform with 49 degrees of freedom aimed first at industrial and lab work.
History and launch
AgiBot (Zhiyuan Robotics) was founded in Shanghai in February 2023 and showed RAISE A1 that August. The public face of the project was Peng Zhihui, also known as Zhi Huijun, who left Huawei's Genius Youth program in December 2022. In August 2024 the company introduced the A2 (Yuanzheng A2) and several other robots, making the A1 a legacy model.
Hardware
The robot stood 1.75 m and weighed 53 kg. It had 49 degrees of freedom, walked at up to 7 km/h and, according to AgiBot, could carry up to 80 kg across its structure and 5 kg per arm. Its legs used reverse-jointed knees for a wider range of motion.
Joints were driven by in-house PowerFlow motors rated above 350 Nm, weighing 1.6 kg each with built-in liquid cooling. The SkillHand had 12 active and 5 passive degrees of freedom with visual and tactile fingertip sensors. Perception used an RGBD camera and lidar, compute reached 200 TOPS, and end effectors were modular, from tools to wheeled or tracked feet.
Use cases
AgiBot pitched the A1 first at industry: bolt tightening, adhesive application and visual inspection on automotive and electronics lines, plus lab work. Longer term it talked about a home robot that cooks, does laundry and helps older people, though Peng himself estimated that was five to eight years away.
Manufacturer
AgiBot is based in Shanghai. Early investors included BYD, Warburg Pincus and Hillhouse Capital. The company says it led global humanoid shipments in 2025, and its 15,000th robot rolled off the line in June 2026.
Price and availability
AgiBot spoke of a target price below 200,000 yuan (about $30,000) but never published an official A1 price. The A1 is no longer in the current lineup.
Timeline
- 2023-02 AgiBot founded in Shanghai
- 2023-08 RAISE A1 (Yuanzheng A1) unveiled
- 2024-08 Successor: AgiBot A2 and other new models
Sources
- Expedition A1 is a robot that can cook, do laundry, and take care of the elderly, KrASIA / 36Kr (2023-09-13)
- China robots to take on Elon Musk's Optimus, Interesting Engineering (2024-08-20)
- About AGIBOT: Milestones, AGIBOT (2026-10)
Updated: 2026-10-10
Verification and limitations
This entry requires an up-to-date manufacturer specification check.
MERA field measurement report: not published. Demonstration footage and manufacturer specifications are not a MERA test under event conditions.
Data and provenance for AI agents ↗Compared with the catalogue
- It is one of 10 AgiBot models in the catalogue and one of 128 humanoids from China.
Capabilities
Frequently asked questions
How many degrees of freedom does AgiBot RAISE A1 have?
49.
How tall and heavy is RAISE A1?
1.75 m and 53 kg.
Are RAISE A1 and Expedition A1 the same robot?
Yes. RAISE A1 is the English name and Yuanzheng (Expedition) A1 the Chinese one.
Is RAISE A1 still sold?
No. AgiBot replaced it with the A2 and later models.
How much does the AgiBot RAISE A1 cost?
The manufacturer has not published a price for the AgiBot RAISE A1. You can send a purchase enquiry through MERA Robotics.
Is the AgiBot RAISE A1 available to buy?
Status: In development: the manufacturer has shown the robot but is not selling it openly yet.
How do I buy the AgiBot RAISE A1 through MERA Robotics?
Click “I want to buy” or fill in the form on this page. MERA Robotics will reply whether and on what terms the model is available and can help deploy it with the MERA OS conversation system.
Data: AgiBot. Specs from the manufacturer; they may change, always confirm with the manufacturer before buying.
