Chinese Companies Demonstrate Advances in Humanoid Robotics

A Beijing-based robotics company gave NBC News a tour of its facility on Thursday and demonstrated a bionic face prototype featuring hair and artificial skin. The company is working to make robots appear more human-like. “If the robots look more like humans, they can do a lot of stuff that humans can do,” said Nikita Gao, who handles the overseas market for the company.

Chinese robotics development has accelerated as competition with the United States increases in areas that include artificial intelligence. The Chinese government has identified the sector as a priority in its latest five-year plan.

Last year only six robots finished a marathon in Beijing. This year more than 100 robots participated and the winner completed the 13-mile half-marathon course in just over 50 minutes. That time was seven minutes faster than the current human world record for a half-marathon.

A Lunar New Year gala broadcast on state television this year also featured robots performing somersaults and coordinated martial arts movements.

Tuesday, Unitree Robotics unveiled a nearly 9-foot-tall humanoid robot equipped with a cockpit that can carry a human. The machine, priced at $650,000, can walk on two legs or transform into a quadruped. It weighs more than 1,100 pounds with a person inside. Unitree Robotics says the GD01 is the first of its kind.

Significant work remains on robot software and autonomy. “Where all of the robotics industry needs to improve is in the brains of these robots, in the software that allows these robots to actually do the things we want, whether they be in a house or an industrial setting,” said Joanna Stern, NBC News’ chief technology analyst.

Manufacturers are collecting real-world data by offering payments to people who record their daily movements with wearable devices. The data is needed before robots can perform household tasks such as washing dishes or folding laundry.

X-Humanoid is designing robots for tasks including power line inspections, work in tight spaces and movement across rough terrain. The company said it does not intend its machines for military use but sees value in emergency and hazardous operations.

“We want the robot to help people, free people from this dangerous, harsh, repetitive working environment,” Gao said. The firm emphasized that its goal is not to displace human workers. Government planners are looking to humanoid robots to assist with care for the elderly and children as the population ages rapidly.

Some researchers question whether every task requires a humanoid form. “Not every robot in the factory really has to look like a person. They don’t all need legs,” said Dan Wang, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. ” The bionic face prototype shown to NBC News has not yet reached the level of realism the company is seeking.

Gao said future versions are expected to appear more lifelike.