The World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, a weeklong spectacle that commenced on 16 August 2023, treated intrigued attendees to a stunning panorama of state-of-the-art robotic prowess. Amidst the marvels on display, humanoid creations commanded the spotlight, dazzling and astounding spectators with spellbinding dance routines, gravity-defying somersaults, and precision-calibrated hand gestures.
Amid the ensemble of over a dozen extraordinary humanoid masterpieces, all eyes converged on Unitree H1—a 1.8-meter, 47-kilogram humanoid equipped with laser radar technology, capable of surging at over 1.5 meters per second.
With its knee joint torque soaring to 360 newton-meters and boasting five degrees of freedom in a single leg, the Hangzhou-based robotics startup showcased their innovation during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics and the pre-game performance of the 2023 Super Bowl.
A mesmerizing demo clip demonstrated the lanky android's remarkable ability to regain balance within just two steps following a sudden assault, even sidestepping preemptively in response to a human evaluator's lifted foot.
Unitree H1 has garnered the admiration of tech leaders like Andrej Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI, who tweeted, "I want one. Or two. A few."
Unitree's aspirations may soon materialize, as the company aims to integrate its robotic technology into industrial and consumer applications in the near future.
Amidst the brilliance, Xiaomi's emotion-detecting humanoid, CyberOne, took center stage—a 170 cm marvel weighing 52 kg, boasting a staggering 21 degrees of motion freedom and real-time response capability, making lifelike human simulation a reality.
"Humanoids embody the functions of multiple specialized devices like mechanical arms," declared Shao Yuanxin, Xiaomi's project manager. "CyberOne's potential is set to reshape Xiaomi's smart manufacturing landscape."
In another breathtaking moment, a group of highly flexible joint-endowed humanoids gracefully performed the intricate "Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva" choreography at the 2023 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, leaving the audience in awe.
At WRC 2023, Dataa Robotics programmed their Cloud Ginger robots to play basketball, showcasing the robots' versatility and human-like imperfections, reminiscent of their human counterparts.
Among the formidable contenders were PaXini Tech's Tora, an AI-driven robot showcasing impressive strength and tactile sensitivity, finding applications in cargo sorting, elderly care, and hotel services.
The cast of impressive characters at this year's event also featured Ubtech's Panda Robot, Zhejiang University's Wukong, "Dreame" from a Chinese robot vacuum cleaner, and Xiaobei from China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.
With nearly 600 exhibits brought forth by approximately 160 Chinese and international robotic manufacturers, 10% of which made their global debut, the event demonstrated the accelerating pace of innovation.
On the horizon, Chinese startup Agibot unveiled an AI-enabled humanoid product with a pledge to maintain its cost under 200,000 yuan (US$27,457).
As the spotlight shifts from robotic canines to humanoid marvels, Chinese investors are flocking to this emerging realm, with the humanoid market predicted to surge to about 75 billion yuan by 2025, propelled by advancing AI capabilities. However, analysts caution that affordability remains a hurdle for rapid market integration.
"As a manufactured commodity, humanoids will thrive only when costs become reasonable," said Guo Qianqian, an analyst at Essence Securities.
Unitree H1's price tag, which falls below $90,000, is touted by Jim Fan, a research scientist at NVIDIA, as a potential game-changer, being both within reach for many university labs and astonishingly affordable for tech companies.
Image credit: AP Photo