The key facts
- The UAE's first humanoid robot showroom opened on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on 6 November 2026
- Lootah Robotics showcased 28 robots; purchase prices range from 50,000 to 3 million dirhams, rental from less than 5,000 dirhams
- Dubai's programme targets 200,000 robots by 2032 and a 9% contribution of robotics to the emirate's GDP
Showroom opening
On 6 November 2026, on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, next to the Dubai International Financial Centre, the UAE's first specialised showroom of humanoid robots opened. Lootah Robotics held a demonstration featuring five humanoids that performed, danced and played football with children — graduates of the company's own robotics academy. Dozens of guests attended the venue, while more than 4,000 people from different countries watched the broadcast, The National reports.
Link to Dubai's programme
Company founder Yusif Al Lootah tied the opening to a national goal: according to him, Dubai has a target of reaching 200,000 robots by 2032, and the company is taking part in achieving it. This goal is enshrined in the Dubai Robotics and Automation Programme, launched in 2022 by Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed; it also envisages raising robotics' contribution to 9% of the emirate's GDP and entering the top ten global centres of robotics and automation. Al Lootah added that, in his view, there will be even more robots in Dubai by that date, and dismissed fears that machines will replace people at work:
Market and business model
The launch reflects the growth of the global industry: according to International Data Corporation, in the first half of 2026 global shipments of humanoid robots grew 432% year on year — almost 25,000 units and revenue of more than $740 million. The global market is estimated at $6.24 billion this year, with a forecast of $165 billion by 2034. For the UAE, analysts at Horizon Databook forecast average annual growth of more than 40% until 2033: from $7.4 million in 2025 to $156.8 million. At the AI Everything 2026 conference, adviser to the UAE President and ATRC Secretary General Faisal Al Bannai said that within a year the UAE will become the largest adopter of autonomous vehicles and advanced robotics after China.
Range and prices
At the time of the opening, the showroom had 28 robots; three more were due to arrive the next day and 16 within a week. The range is not limited to humanoids: there are cleaning and service robots, inspection robots, as well as fire-safety robots aimed at construction and oil and gas companies. The company sells robots to selected clients and rents them out: purchase prices range from 50,000 to 3 million dirhams, and rental from less than 5,000 dirhams to hundreds of thousands. According to Al Lootah, a sale includes programming, operation and maintenance; the company had been selling humanoids to private clients even before the showroom opened.
