UAE Humanoid Robots: Where to See Them in Dubai

Where to See Humanoid Robots in Dubai

GITEX Global 2026 runs 7 to 11 December 2026 at Expo City Dubai, and The Recursive and the official GITEX page name its robotics zone differently. Dubai Police sent its DPR 02 patrol robot on its first mission at Global Village, though Gulf News does not say whether DPR 02 is humanoid. Bu Sunaidah, a customized Unitree G1, has toured the country since the start of 2026 and posts updates on Instagram at @bu.sunaidah.

The Museum of the Future, which showed Ameca and a Unitree G1, is temporarily closed until a 2027 reopening, so it is not a place to see robots now. A separate Unitree G1 run by Dubai Future Labs greeted Sheikh Mohammed at Union House in August 2025; no published source says it is Bu Sunaidah.

Who Built Bu Sunaidah

Bu Sunaidah is a viral humanoid robot built on the Chinese-manufactured Unitree G1 platform. Khaleej Times reports Bu Sunaidah stands 1.27 metres and weighs about 35 kilograms. Gulf News describes the Unitree G1 base as a "commercially available humanoid built for research, education and interactive demonstrations". In public appearances, Bu Sunaidah usually wears a traditional Emirati kandura and speaks fluent Arabic.

Company attribution for the robot varies across published news reports. Gulf News reported that the developer is SS Lootah Group, identifying Yousif Lootah as its head without giving a formal corporate title. In contrast, Khaleej Times reported the developer as Lootah Robotics. A separate Khaleej Times interview described Yousif Lootah as an Emirati entrepreneur who planned the wedding with his team, and named no company. Scoop Empire noted the unit was locally customized by Lootah Robotics.

Bu Sunaidah gained national attention after appearing alongside Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum near Emirates Towers. GDN reported in May 2026 that Bu Sunaidah had toured the country since the start of the year, including the Make it in the Emirates exhibition; Gulf News places it at the forum in Abu Dhabi in June. A video showing Bu Sunaidah performing the adhan drew over 1.3 million views, and Gulf News reported the robot joining worshippers for Eid prayer at an unnamed Dubai mosque. Public updates appear via the Instagram account @bu.sunaidah.

Dubai Future Labs G1 Public Appearances

A separate Unitree G1 robot operates under the supervision of Dubai Future Labs and the Dubai Future Foundation. No published source ties this robot to Lootah or to Bu Sunaidah. On 7 August 2025, Entrepreneur Middle East reported that this Unitree G1 greeted Sheikh Mohammed at the Mudaif Majlis in Union House during a demonstration organised by the Dubai Future Foundation.

Two other Dubai robot sightings, in July and August 2025, have no named owner. Gulf News reported footage of a humanoid robot crossing a Dubai street while followed by a man apparently holding a controller, though the owner was not stated. Additionally, Khaleej Times reported that a Unitree G1 and a robotic dog ran alongside participants at Mirdif City Centre during the Dubai Mallathon on 9 August 2025; Khaleej Times did not name the owner.

Pricing for the base hardware varies across local regional publications. What's On reported the Unitree G1 priced from Dhs59,000 in August 2025, while Khaleej Times put it at about $16,000 in September 2025. Ednex, Unitree's Middle East partner, says it has sold more than 100 humanoids to UAE universities.

The Robot Wedding Promotional Campaign

A promotional robot wedding drew attention online when Bu Sunaidah announced his marriage to a fellow robot named Moza. Khaleej Times reported the ceremony date as 1 August 2026, noting that Moza wore a traditional abaya and headscarf. The event venue was not publicly disclosed.

Published reporting clarifies that the event carried no legal or religious standing. Gulf News stated the wedding was a promotional piece of content from Bu Sunaidah's operator, which Gulf News names as SS Lootah Group. Across the first three days following the online announcement, the social post generated more than 41,000 likes, 2,300 comments, and approximately 109,000 shares.

In an interview published by Khaleej Times, Yousif Lootah did not disclose the total cost of staging the event. Lootah stated his objective was to make robotics familiar to Emirati society and create "an entire family of Emirati robot characters", and said he wants every Emirati student able to design and program a robot.

Dubai Police Patrol Robotic Units

Dubai Police has put two physical robots on the record. The force introduced its original Robocop unit on 21 May 2017 at the GISEC conference held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Robocop stands 170 centimetres and weighs 100 kilograms, and Khaleej Times listed facial recognition, live video, a tablet for police services and card payments, and six languages including Arabic and English. Robocop's current status and location have not been published.

Gulf News reported that Dubai Police unveiled the self-driving DPR 02 patrol at GITEX Global 2025 before deploying it to Global Village. DPR 02 features 360-degree cameras connected to the police Command and Control Centre. Gulf News does not say whether DPR 02 is wheeled or humanoid.

Software robotics also operates under police administrative programs. In September 2026, Khaleej Times reported that Dubai Police uses 36 bots. Those 36 bots are robotic process automation (RPA) software and have no physical body. For international comparisons of mobile enforcement hardware, readers can examine Chinese police robots.

Exhibition Hardware at GITEX Global 2026

Official event organisers announced that GITEX Global 2026 will run from 7 to 11 December 2026 at Expo City Dubai, with the GITEX Summit convening on 7 December and general exhibition halls open from 8 to 11 December. Reporting from The Recursive noted that event facilities centre at the Dubai Exhibition Centre within Expo City.

The robotics zone's name differs between sources. The Recursive reported that the 2026 event features a dedicated area named the "Physical AI – Robotics Park", focusing on humanoids, autonomous industrial machines, and edge computing. Conversely, the official GITEX Global portal lists the robotics display sector under the name GITEX World Robotix at the time of writing, omitting the Physical AI designation.

Other regional gatherings host robotic competitive demonstrations across the Emirates. From 10 to 15 November 2025, Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi hosted the RoboCup Asia-Pacific 2025 competition. As Gulf News reported, the tournament drew more than 700 competitors and 2,500 visitors, featuring 5-on-5 humanoid football alongside humanoid running, boxing, and dancing displays. Related event entertainment is covered in our overview of entertainment robots.

Robot Rentals and the Museum of the Future

RENTROBOTS lists Pepper as its only humanoid, alongside the GO2 surveillance robot, the Lucki Pro and Lucki delivery robots, and GreetingBot Mini. Its site shows a weekly rate of AED 8,750 at the time of writing without naming the robot, plus AED 350 a day for a site engineer and AED 250 extra outside Dubai, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

Visitors planning a trip to see humanoids at the Museum of the Future must note the venue's current operating status. The museum previously featured Ameca, a humanoid by Engineered Arts, on its Tomorrow Today floor, upgraded with Tritium 3 software supporting six languages, alongside public demonstrations of the Unitree G1. However, the Museum of the Future official website states that the museum is temporarily closed as it prepares for its next chapter.

The timeline for this museum closure contains differing dates across regional publications. Khaleej Times reported a closure beginning 1 September 2026, while Gulf News reported the facility closing in mid-September 2026. Gulf News noted that upgraded experiences will debut in the first quarter of 2027 to mark the facility's fifth anniversary. General institutional applications are detailed in our guide on museum robots.

The Dubai Robotics and Automation Program

On 21 September 2022, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program during an address at Dubai Future Labs. The executive initiative is managed under the governance of the Dubai Council for Robotics and Automation.

The program aims to position Dubai among the top ten robotics and automation cities globally while increasing the sector's economic contribution to 9% of Dubai's gross domestic product. Strategic targets also include the deployment of 200,000 robots across the emirate within ten years.

UAE-based FFBOTS makes Wabel, a firefighting robot that is not a humanoid. Related international platforms are detailed in our guide to Chinese humanoid robots.