India News : Indian robotics firm Addverb Technologies is preparing to commercially launch a wheeled humanoid robot, developed and manufactured in India. The rollout will begin in the domestic market, followed by expansion into global markets.
Explaining the pricing strategy, Addverb’s co-founder and CEO Sangeet Kumar said the robot will be priced between Chinese and European/Japanese competitors. While a comparable Chinese humanoid robot typically costs ₹50–75 lakh, robots from Europe and Japan are priced around ₹1–1.5 crore. “We plan to price our robot between these two ranges,” Kumar said, adding that development took around 18 months.
Focus on trust, service, and supply-chain reliability
Justifying a higher price than Chinese alternatives, Kumar noted that purchase decisions in industrial robotics are not driven by price alone. “For a product with a 20-year lifecycle, service assurance and trust are critical,” he said. He also cited concerns raised in reports about data collection and transmission by some Chinese robots. “We are positioning ourselves as a trusted global supplier,” Kumar added.
Addverb uses components sourced from Japan and Europe, which the company considers more reliable than China-only supply chains. Kumar said this approach underpins the company’s emphasis on quality, longevity, and after-sales support.
Trade dynamics add competitive edge
Kumar also referenced the recently announced India–US trade agreement, under which US tariffs on Indian exports were reduced from 50% to 18%, while Chinese imports continue to face tariffs of about 31%. He said this creates a competitive advantage for Indian manufacturers in international markets.
Production roadmap
Addverb plans to produce 100 humanoid robots in the first year to test demand with five to six major domestic customers. Production is expected to scale to 500 units in the second year and 2,000 units by the third year, as adoption grows across industries.
The company believes its India-made humanoid robot—combining competitive pricing, trusted components, and strong service backing—can carve out a meaningful share in the fast-evolving global robotics market.
