Humanoids dominate spotlight at WRC 2023

Tora, an artificial intelligence-driven robot developed by PaXini Tech, showcased its strength and tactile senses. The "sensitive" machine can feel the shape, temperature, rigidity and roughness of an object. Its tailored editions have already been used in sorting cargo, hotel service and elderly care, according to the Shenzhen-based startup.

Rounding out the big hitters at this year's show were robotics giant Ubtech's panda robot Wukong from Zhejiang University and Xiaobei from China Electronics Technology Group Corp.

About 160 domestic and overseas robotic manufacturers brought nearly 600 exhibits to the WRC — one-tenth launching their global premiere.

On Aug 18, Chinese startup Agibot launched an AI-enabled humanoid product and its founder vowed to keep the robot's cost within 200,000 yuan ($27,468).

Following the market frenzy surrounding robotic dogs, a surge of Chinese investors has eagerly shifted their focus to humanoids over the past two years. According to industry projections, the burgeoning humanoid market is poised to skyrocket to about 75 billion yuan by 2025.

Supported by increasingly powerful AI capabilities, humanoids are becoming smarter. However, their affordability is a challenge for quick market applications, according to analysts.

"As a manufactured good, humanoids can only have a solid market when costs are lowered to an acceptable level," said Guo Qianqian, an analyst from Essence Securities.

At less than $90,000, Unitree H1's "price tag can be a game changer," said Jim Fan, a research scientist at AI chip giant Nvidia in a tweet, arguing that Boston Dynamics' robotic dog costs $75,000 and is much less complex.

"Unitree H1 is within budget for many university labs and almost dirt-cheap for tech companies," said Fan.

Xinhua