Humanoid Robots Under $1,500: How Little Bumi Is Set to Transform Classrooms
On November 26, 2025, Songyan Dynamics announced a new round of financing — nearly 200 million yuan in a Pre-B+ round — only a month after its previous raise. This time, the startup also revealed a major shift: the launch of a small humanoid robot priced under 10,000 yuan (about $1,400–1,500), marking the first time a consumer-grade robot has been so affordable.
Their new robot, nicknamed Little Bumi, is just 94 cm tall and weighs roughly 12 kg — a design intentionally scaled down to feel less intimidating to children than full-size robots. In October, just after launch, 100 units sold out within an hour on JD.com, and the first 500 units were snapped up within two days.
From niche tech to mass-market robot
Previously, humanoid robots were expensive gadgets — often priced in the tens of thousands of yuan — affordable only by wealthy families or top-tier educational institutions. But by bringing the price below 10,000 yuan, Songyan Dynamics aims to unlock a much larger market: the hundreds of thousands of schools and kindergartens nationwide, as well as ordinary families.
According to the company’s founder, this price drop doesn’t just serve the affluent — it opens the door for typical elementary and secondary schools across the country to deploy robots as companions and teaching aids. The company is collaborating with Programming Cat, a major provider of school-level programming education (with reach into over 70,000 schools), to integrate robots like Little Bumi into programming education labs.
This shift could turn robots from expensive novelties into widespread educational tools — or even everyday “non-human workers” in classrooms.
Why this matters now
Lowering the cost barrier so drastically is a strategic move with far-reaching implications. First, it expands supply and demand: with nearly 700,000 schools and kindergartens across China, even modest penetration could lead to millions of robots in use. Second, by forging partnerships with education-tech companies and leveraging existing school networks, Songyan Dynamics aims for scale and commercialization rather than isolated high-end sales.
Finally, this trend reflects a broader shift in robotics — from fancy toys or corporate hype to practical, affordable “AI Employees” or “non-human workers” that could support teaching, companionship, and early coding education in everyday settings. If robots priced under 10,000 yuan become standard in schools, the robotics industry may be entering a new phase where adoption scales rapidly beyond elite users.
Key Highlights:
- Songyan Dynamics raised nearly 200 million yuan on Nov 26, 2025 — their fifth financing round this year.
- The company launched Little Bumi, a 94 cm tall humanoid robot for children, priced at 9,998 yuan — the first ever under the 10,000-yuan threshold.
- The initial batch sold out quickly on e-commerce (100 units in one hour; 500 in two days).
- By cutting price, Songyan targets a massive latent market: thousands of schools and kindergartens previously unable to afford robots.
- Through partnership with Programming Cat, robots may soon integrate into programming education across tens of thousands of schools.
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