Jakarta, INTI - China has elevated the skills of its humanoid robots. Previously, these robots had their viral moments when they participated in marathons or swam. Now, these robots' skills are more impressive.
Humanoid robots made in China can perform sword dance, kungfu moves, and somersaults. The performance was shown at the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala event, the most watched television program in China during the Chinese New Year.
The humanoid robots were made by four Chinese robotics companies: Unitree Robots, Galbot, Noetix, and MagicLab.
On the stage, more than a dozen Unitree robots swiftly demonstrated several kungfu moves with human partners. They performed fighting scenes and stances with sticks and nunchucks.
Some of the robots also performed somersaults with stability. They could quickly get up when they fell, and demonstrated significant improvements in their balance systems.
Additionally, from the videos broadcasted by Al Jazeera and NBC News, the robots could firmly hold swords and swing them in a traditional sword dance demonstration.
The hand movements appear human-like, as they can now move in various directions naturally and flexibly. Humanoid robots have often been labeled as stiff and lacking flexibility in dynamic movements.
Meanwhile, four humanoid robots from Noetix performed with human actors in a comedy segment. Then, MagicLab robots performed a synchronized dance with human performers while the song "We Are Made in China" was played.
China Aims for Humanoid Robots Use in Industrial and Manufacturing
Beyond spectacular performances like kung fu and somersaults, the development of these humanoid robots is actually geared towards industrial and manufacturing needs.
Flexible motion control capabilities, simultaneous coordination of multiple robots, and control of small objects are essential foundations for real-world applications in factories and logistics facilities.
So far, real-world applications are still limited to pilot projects, generally supported by special contracts or collaborations.
For example, Galbot has a contract to operate its humanoid robots at a factory owned by battery giant CATL, which is also an investor.
Meanwhile, UBTech last year won a government contract to deploy humanoid robots in logistics and support roles on the Vietnamese border.
According to technology analysts in Beijing, humanoid robots are now a symbol of China's new strength in integrating artificial intelligence, hardware supply chains, and ambitions in the manufacturing sector.
Data from research firm Omdia indicates that China accounted for approximately 90 percent of the 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally last year. This figure far exceeds that of competitors from the United States, including Tesla's Optimus.
Conclusion
Humanoid robot development in China showed significant improvements. Previously labeled as stiff and having limited movements, China’s humanoid robots can now swiftly perform dances, kungfu, and somersaults. The robots’ abilities proved the improvements in AI technology, movement crontrolm and balance used to develop them. This indicates that humanoid robots are nearing the potential of real-life applications in many industries, such as manufacturing and logistics.
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