With breakthroughs in AI technology, humanoid robots have demonstrated tremendous potential and wide application prospects in multiple industries, leading a new wave of AI development, experts said at a forum at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2024 on Friday.
The Humanoid Robots Forum, hosted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), invited experts from AI industries and robotics to showcase the latest technological innovations in humanoid robots, as well as share their insights on their application and future challenges.
Humanoid robots are an important path to develop robots towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and a significant carrier of embodied AI, said Wang Xiangyun, managing partner of Peakview Capital, a economic service platform dedicated to scientific innovation.
Oliver Tian, vice-chair at the International Alliance of Robotics, said that the Industrial Revolution 5.0 is coming, which is a new phase of industrialization in which humans work together with advance technology and AI-driven robots to improve processes at work.
Embodied AI and humanoid robots are key topics at the WAIC 2024. Four embodied AI-themed forums are hosted focusing on cutting-edge technology and application prospects of humanoid robots, as well as the prospects of Embodied AI.
WAIC 2024 also focuses on showcasing innovative humanoid robot products. The exhibition features a dedicated humanoid robot area, displaying 25 humanoid robots.
Zhang Chaoyan / SHINE
Thomas Coughlin, president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, delivers the opening speech at the forum.
Qinglong, an open-source general-purpose humanoid robot was unveiled on Thursday, marking the debut of China’s first full-sized general-purpose humanoid robot model, along with the release of its related open-source technologies.
Stepping into the exhibition area, visitors are met with various uniquely shaped and multifunctional humanoid robots.
In front of the “Humaniod Robot Vanguard Matrix” booth, a crowd gathered to watch the “Eighteen Guardians” – 18 humanoid robots from 15 companies that achieved collaborative control with different technological architectures.
Ti Gong
Eighteen humanoid robots from “Humaniod Robot Vanguard Matrix” greet visitors.
Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus Gen 2 also made its debut at the exhibition. Compared with the first generation, its walking speed has increased by 30 percent, while weight has been reduced by 10 kilograms, according to Tesla staff.
Zhang Chaoyan / SHINE
Compared with the first generation, Optimus Gen 2 has changed from gray to predominantly white in color, and its outer contours are softer.
Fans of scientific blockbuster “The Wandering Earth 2” must have been impressed by the exoskeleton robots featured in the movie. Now its developer ULS Robotics has brought its star products from screen to reality.
As a wearable robot product, the humanoid exoskeleton composite robot brought by ULS Robotics allows visitors to easily perform stretching, lifting, and other movements.
The robot stands 1.9 meters tall, with 27 flexible joints and a payload capacity of 40 kilograms. Meanwhile, the product can be utilized in physically demanding environments such as mining, automotive, aerospace, and logistics, said Zhang Hua, marketing director of the company.
Ti Gong
A visitor experiences wearing an exoskeleton composite robot to lift dumbbells.
Leju Robotics, a high-end intelligent humanoid robot company, brings its high-dynamic humanoid robot Kuavo to WAIC 2024.
This is China’s first full-sized humanoid robot with jumping capability and powered by the HarmonyOS operating system, according to the company.
“This robot has been mass-produced and deployed in scientific research and various industries such as exhibition hall guides and industrial service applications,” said the company’s Tian Guisheng.
Shot by Zhang Chaoyan.
Kuavo demonstrates its movements at the Leju Robotics booth.