Haier HIVA Haiwa
The Haier HIVA Haiwa is a 165 cm wheeled home humanoid unveiled in July 2025 that Haier pitches as a "housework terminator" for cooking, cleaning and laundry. It is still a prototype: today its tasks are done by remote human operators, not full autonomy. You can't buy one yet, and the widely cited ~$80,000 figure is an unconfirmed estimate rather than a shipping price.
What is the Haier HIVA Haiwa?
When a company that already builds your fridge, washer and oven decides to build the thing that loads them, people pay attention. That's basically the story of the Haier HIVA Haiwa, a home-focused humanoid robot Haier showed off in mid-2025. It's tall, it's wheeled, and its whole reason for existing is smart-home chores.
Haier leaned hard into the household angle. The demos showed HIVA Haiwa pulling clothes out of a washing machine, ironing and folding them, sweeping and mopping, and doing light kitchen work like heating and mixing ingredients. Because Haier makes the appliances too, the robot is designed to actually talk to your oven, hob and fridge rather than fumble at them like a confused guest.
But — and this is the important part — HIVA Haiwa is early. It is a prototype in a data-collection phase, and a lot of what you see in the clips is done through remote operation by engineers. That doesn't make it fake, it makes it honest about where home robotics really is in 2026.
What is the Haier HIVA Haiwa and what can it do?
HIVA Haiwa is a domestic humanoid robot from Haier, one of the world's largest appliance makers. It stands 165 cm tall, weighs about 70 kg, and instead of walking on two legs it rolls on a wheeled base. That's a deliberate choice for a home helper: wheels are stable, cheaper and far less likely to topple over near a staircase than bipedal legs.
Up top it's built for manipulation, with a reported 44 degrees of freedom and dexterous hands. The pitch is a full sweep of household jobs — sweeping, mopping and picking up rubbish (including awkward corners), pulling laundry from the machine and then ironing, folding and putting it away, plus basic kitchen tasks like heating and stirring.
The secret weapon is integration. Because Haier already owns the smart-home ecosystem, HIVA is meant to operate appliances natively — opening the fridge, running the washer, using the hob — rather than treating them as obstacles. Very few humanoid projects have that home-turf advantage.
How does HIVA Haiwa actually work today? (the teleop caveat)
Here is the honest bit. Right now, HIVA Haiwa's tasks are largely completed through remote operation by human engineers. When you watch it iron a shirt smoothly, a person is often in the loop guiding it. That's not unusual for this stage of humanoid development, but it matters if you're picturing a fully autonomous butler.
Haier's stated plan is to use this phase to accumulate data. Every teleoperated chore becomes training material, and the long-term goal is full autonomy powered by advanced, cloud-assisted AI. In other words teleoperation is the scaffolding, not the finished building.
So the useful mental model for 2026 is: capable hardware, genuine appliance integration, and an AI "brain" that is still learning. The gap between a polished demo and an autonomous robot doing your laundry unsupervised is real, and Haier hasn't closed it yet.
How much does the Haier HIVA Haiwa cost?
There is no official retail price, and that's the truthful answer. Haier has not put HIVA Haiwa on sale to consumers.
The number floating around coverage is an estimated ~$80,000, which some outlets attach to a prototype / early-rollout scenario. Treat that as unconfirmed. For a robot that isn't shipping and still relies on remote operators, any dollar figure is more of a signal than a sticker.
For comparison, plenty of enterprise humanoids sit in the low six figures, and companion or service robots often land in the $30k–$90k band. A home helper priced near $80k would be firmly a premium, early-adopter product — not a mass-market appliance, at least not in its first generation.
When can you buy HIVA Haiwa, and is it available in the US?
As of 2026 you cannot buy the HIVA Haiwa. It was unveiled at a Chinese appliance and electronics expo in 2025 and remains a research/limited-access prototype. There's no announced consumer release date, and no confirmed US availability.
Haier is a global brand, so it's reasonable to expect eventual international ambitions. But nothing about timing, US pricing or a shipping model has been confirmed, and it would be a mistake to assume a near-term Western launch.
If you're a US buyer wanting a home robot today, HIVA Haiwa isn't an option — it's a preview of where a major appliance maker thinks the category is heading.
HIVA Haiwa vs other home humanoids: is it worth watching?
Against the wave of walking humanoids from firms like Tesla, Figure or 1X, HIVA Haiwa's differentiator is obvious: appliances. Most humanoid makers have to teach a robot to use a random kitchen. Haier can design the kitchen and the robot to cooperate, which is a genuine edge for domestic tasks.
The trade-off is autonomy. Some rivals are pushing hard on learned, self-directed behavior, while HIVA is still leaning on teleoperation and data collection. On raw AI independence it isn't clearly ahead; on real-world home usefulness the concept is compelling.
Who should care? Nobody can buy it, so "worth it" is about attention, not money. If you follow smart-home tech or humanoid robotics, HIVA Haiwa is one of the more interesting entrants precisely because it comes from an appliance giant. If you just want a helper you can order, look elsewhere for now.
Who the Haier HIVA Haiwa is — and isn't — for
+Where it shines
!Watch-outs
- Not really on sale yet — availability is research / limited.
- No public list price — you'll need a quote.
- Some demos rely on teleoperation, not full autonomy.
How the Haier HIVA Haiwa stacks up
Side by side with similar robots — the one you're reading about is highlighted.
| This robot Haier Haier HIVA Haiwa |  Unitree Robotics Unitree R1 |  Unitree Robotics Unitree G1 |  Unitree Robotics Unitree H1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (US) | Price on inquiry | $4,900 – $5,900 | $13,500 – $73,900 | ~$90,000 |
| Availability | Research / limited | On the market | On the market | On the market |
| Height | 1.65 m | 1.23 m | 1.32 m standing | ~1.80 m |
| Payload | Unknown | Unknown | Arm ~2 kg | Not rated for H1 |
| DoF | 44 | 20 | 23 | ~19 |
| Buyer | Enterprise | Individuals | Individuals | Enterprise |
| Made in | China | China | China | China |
What the Haier HIVA Haiwa costs — and how to get one
HIVA Haiwa home/companion humanoid; prototype.
Unknown
Leasing / RaaS: unknown
Every spec, grouped & sourced
Tap a group to expand. Values are labelled official vs third-party; unknowns are omitted, not guessed.
Body & movement▾
Power & endurance▾
Hands & senses▾
Brains & control▾
Claims vs evidence
Haier smart-home AI
Where it's working
No verified large-scale deployment
Intended use cases: Home and companion assistance (smart-home integration)
Should you consider the Haier HIVA Haiwa?
The HIVA Haiwa is one of the most credible home-humanoid concepts around, mostly because Haier controls the appliances it's meant to operate. But it's a teleoperated prototype you can't buy, and the much-quoted ~$80k price is unconfirmed — so admire it as a preview, not a product.
Score reflects stated criteria (availability, data confidence, US relevance) — not hands-on testing or user ratings. We're an independent review & comparison site; we don't sell robots. *Financing figure is illustrative.
How we know this
Data confidence 32/100 · last verified 2026-06-30. Specs are labelled official vs third-party and dated; unknowns are omitted, not guessed.
Haier HIVA Haiwa — your questions, answered in full
Is the Haier HIVA Haiwa autonomous or remote-controlled?+
Currently it's mostly remote-controlled. Its household tasks are completed through teleoperation by Haier engineers, and this phase is being used to collect training data. Full autonomy via cloud-assisted AI is the goal, not the present reality.
How much does the HIVA Haiwa cost?+
There's no official price. An estimated figure of around $80,000 has appeared in coverage tied to a prototype/early-rollout scenario, but it's unconfirmed and the robot isn't on sale.
Can I buy a Haier HIVA Haiwa in 2026?+
No. It's a research/limited-access prototype with no announced consumer release date and no confirmed US availability.
What tasks can HIVA Haiwa do?+
Demos show cleaning (sweeping, mopping, picking up rubbish), laundry (removing clothes from the washer, ironing, folding, storing), and basic kitchen work like heating and mixing ingredients. It's designed to operate Haier smart-home appliances directly.
How tall is the HIVA Haiwa and does it walk?+
It's about 165 cm tall and weighs roughly 70 kg. It doesn't walk on legs — it moves on a wheeled base, with a reported 44 degrees of freedom and dexterous hands up top.
Who makes HIVA Haiwa?+
Haier, the Chinese multinational best known for home appliances like washing machines, fridges and air conditioners. That appliance background is central to the robot's smart-home integration pitch.
Is HIVA Haiwa available outside China?+
Not currently. It was shown domestically in 2025, and there's no confirmed international or US launch. Any global rollout details remain unannounced.