UAE opens its first humanoid robotics showroom as Dubai races to 200,000 robots

The UAE's first dedicated humanoid robotics showroom opened its doors on Sheikh Zayed Road on Friday, drawing crowds to a demonstration that featured five humanoid robots presenting, dancing and playing football with children.

Lootah Robotics, the company behind the launch, staged the opening at its showroom near the Dubai International Financial Centre with dozens of guests on the floor and more than 4,000 viewers watching via livestream, their locations scrolling across a live ticker as people tuned in from countries around the world.

The children on the showroom floor were graduates of the company's own robotics academy.

The race to 200,000

For founder Yousif Al Lootah, the moment was explicitly linked to national ambition. “We are following the steps of our leadership,” he told The National at the opening. “Dubai has a vision to reach 200,000 robots by 2032, and we are a part of making that happen.”

Show caption: Lootah Robotics had 28 robots on its opening day, with more …

That target is anchored in the Dubai Robotics and Automation Programme, launched in 2022 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, which aims to deploy 200,000 robots across the emirate by 2032 and push robotics' contribution to Dubai's GDP to 9 per cent. That would put the city among the world's top 10 robotics and automation hubs. “I'm telling you,” Mr Lootah said, “Dubai is going to have more than that many robots by then.”

Mr Al Lootah is adamant that these robots are not going to replace humans in the workplace. “Some people are afraid that they’re going to take the jobs of the people. But I say no, it's going to enhance the work of the people.”

A global industry shift

The timing of the showroom launch reflects a global industry shift. In the first half of 2026, humanoid robot shipments worldwide jumped 432 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier, with nearly 25,000 units shipped and revenue topping $740 million, according to International Data Corporation.

The global market, valued at $6.24 billion this year, is forecast to reach $165 billion by 2034.

For the UAE specifically, analysts project a compound annual growth rate of over 40 per cent for humanoid robots through 2033, with the local market expanding from $7.4 million in 2025 to $156.8 million within seven years, according to Horizon Databook.

At AI Everything 2026, Faisal Al Bannai, adviser to the UAE President and Secretary General of the ATRC, projected that the UAE would become the largest deployer of autonomous vehicles and advanced robotics outside China within a year.

Show caption: The Dubai Robotics and Automation Programme aims to deploy 2…

The showroom is designed to help drive that growth. At its opening, it held 28 robots. Three more are due to arrive on Saturday, with a further 16 the week after, said Mr Lootah.

A full suite of robots

Inventory runs beyond humanoids. “We have the cleaning and services robots. We have the inspection robots,” Al Lootah explained. “We have oil dump robots. We have a robot specifically for fire and safety systems – that work in construction companies, oil and gas companies.”

Offices and a warehouse sit above the showroom floor, stocked with additional units. From here, the plan is to sell to select customers and rent to others, since robots vary widely in price at this point.

Show caption: Purchase prices for the robots run from Dh50,000 up to Dh3 m…

“Some robots are the cost of a sports car, others a luxury car, and some an economical car,” said Mr Lootah. “It depends on the kind of robot.”

Purchase prices run from Dh50,000 up to Dh3 million. Rental starts below Dh5,000 and climbs into the hundreds of thousands of dirhams.

Lootah Robotics had already sold humanoid robots to private customers before the showroom opened. The commercial pitch extends beyond the hardware itself.

“When we sell the robot, it's not just our robot,” Mr Al Lootah said. “We need the programming, we need the operation, the maintenance for it.”