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 in Shanghai 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), said Wang Xiangyun, managing partner of Peakview Capital, a financial 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 with advance technology and AI-driven robots to improve efficiency.

Embodied AI and humanoid robots were key topics at the WAIC 2024. Four embodied AI-themed forums were hosted focusing on cutting-edge technology and application prospects of humanoid robots, as well as the prospects of Embodied AI.

WAIC 2024, with exhibition running between Thursday and Sunday, also focused on showcasing innovative humanoid robot products. The exhibition had a dedicated humanoid robot area, displaying 25 humanoid robots.

Leju Robotics, a high-end intelligent humanoid robot company based in Shenzhen, brought its high-dynamic humanoid robot Kuavo to the event.

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 Tian Guisheng of the company, as quoted by Shanghai Daily.

The robot is being tested and validated at factories of electric carmaker Nio and Jiangsu Hengtong Group, local media outlet China Star Market said in a report Saturday. Previously, Kuavo made its appearance at Huawei’s HDC 2024 developer conference June 21.

Qinglong, China’s first full-sized general-purpose humanoid robot, was unveiled at the event Thursday, along with the release of its related open-source technologies.

Stepping into the exhibition area, visitors were 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.

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%, while weight has been reduced by 10 kilograms, according to Tesla staff.

The Exoskeleton robots featured in the “The Wandering Earth 2” movie, developed by ULS Robotics, was on display.

As a wearable robot product, the humanoid exoskeleton composite robot can help people 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.

The product can be utilized in physically demanding environments such as mining, automotive, aerospace, and logistics, said Zhang Hua, marketing director of the company.

(SD-Agencies)