Xiaoban

Xiaoban is Yueban Dongli’s consumer bipedal companion robot, discussed by Shibo in 我遇到了第一个真正想买的陪伴机器人！｜对话世博：越伴动力创始人【公路播客】. The product is positioned as an “alien cute creature” and family partner, not a pet copy, humanoid servant, AI speaker, or general-purpose household worker.

Product Design

• Uses a 12-sound non-human language, expressive eyes, posture, belly gestures, and short arms to communicate intent without creating expectations of human conversation.
• Stands about 65 cm tall and weighs about 12 kg; the episode says it can run outdoors around 1.9 m/s and climb steps up to about 15 cm.
• Uses soft exterior materials, including high silicone-like coverage and belly softness, to make the robot safer and more huggable in a household setting.
• Has a sitting charging chair instead of a detachable battery, because the team believes removing a battery from the body would weaken the product’s individual presence.
• Uses On Device Fast Slow Brain, Qwen, cloud long-term memory, and Emotional Interaction Models to create low-latency responses and evolving personality tendencies.

Market Position

As of the episode, Xiaoban’s domestic price was 8499 RMB, with a preorder price of 6499 RMB and the fastest planned delivery around China’s National Day holiday on October 1, 2026. The target users discussed include middle-aged women, families with children, and technology early adopters.

Connections

• Shibo — founder presenting the product.
• Yueban Dongli — company building the product.
• Companion Robots and Robot Liveliness — product category and core design thesis.
• LOVOT — comparison case for restrained companion interaction.
• Family World Simulator — training and evaluation mechanism for home emotional interaction.