China’s backflipping robot maker Unitree pops 542% in Shanghai debut

HANGZHOU, CHINA - JUNE 17: An Unitree G1 humanoid robot presents martial arts and dance performance for tourists at West Lake scenic area on June 17, 2026 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Long Wei/VCG via Getty Images)Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesUnitree Robotics shares rose 542% in early trading Wednesday as the Chinese humanoid robot maker made its stock market debut in Shanghai. The Hangzhou-based robot maker, whose backflipping and dancing machines have drawn global attention, raised about 6.1 billion yuan ($905 million) in its IPO, according to its prospectus. Shares rose to 968.1 yuan apiece, after hitting as high as 1,100 yuan earlier.The IPO also drew backing from Chinese AI company DeepSeek, which invested about 140.8 million yuan, according to a company filing. Unitree's existing investors also include Chinese tech giant Tencent. Unitree's product lineup spans bipedal humanoid robots that can walk and manipulate objects with dexterous hands, as well as four-legged robots used for tasks such as hazard detection. Ahead of its listing, Unitree on Monday unveiled a new humanoid robot called "Superman," which it says can jump two meters from a stand...