Advertisement
WAIC Shanghai: China’s humanoid robots put on a show as Tesla’s Optimus kept behind glass
The humanoid robot market segment is seeing demand from enterprises gather speed, as some manufacturers start mass production this year
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Wency Chenin Shanghai
China’s humanoid robots took centre stage at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where leading manufacturers, component suppliers and AI firms showed the country’s grand ambitions in the fast-developing robotics industry.
WAIC’s exhibition, which concluded on Tuesday, featured robots engaged in various activities, built by some of the country’s major manufacturers including AgiBot, Unitree Robotics, Fourier Intelligence, Keenon Robotics, Galbot, Deep Robotics, Robotera and the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Centre in Shanghai.
“Society urgently expects robots to be widely adopted in real-world applications,” said Zhang Zhengyou, chief scientist and head of Tencent Holdings’ Robotics X Lab, during a panel discussion at WAIC on Sunday.
Zhang asserted, however, that “fulfilling the high standards and stringent requirements across diverse scenarios requires substantial efforts in both core technology innovation and practical engineering”.
That assessment reflected the rapid developments being made in China’s robotics sector, as the government has helped supercharge demand for humanoid robots in state-owned enterprises, while a number of manufacturers enter mass production this year.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x