A 20-second video from inside a Chinese language humanoid robotic manufacturing facility is inflicting some consternation in the present day round social media. It exhibits a spread of extremely realistic-looking, partially skinned humanoids underneath development.
The video, uploaded by person ‘meimei4515,’ is uncredited, however exhibits a number of shifting androids with human-like hair and pores and skin – in stark distinction to many of the general-purpose humanoids we would usually cowl, that are designed to seem like robots, quite than making an attempt to idiot anybody.
Right here, there are rows of fairly cyborg-ladies, disembodied heads on stands, absolutely human-like presenter sorts carrying shirts and pants, and a surreal tree of humanoid arms, flexing and twirling their white-fingered fingers in live performance. It appears to be like for all of the world like a grittier model of Westworld’s backstage workshop.
@meimei4515 China uda buat robotic manusia #china#robot ♬ suara asli – Amei 啊美
Whoever took the video says one thing in Chinese language originally, which interprets roughly to “earlier than that, the staff had already began mass manufacturing.”
So what are we truly taking a look at right here? Because it seems, the arm-tree is the giveaway. Chinese language firm ExRobots has proven it earlier than in expo shows. In line with the corporate’s (translated) web site, it builds “environment friendly and pleasant good information providers for presidency businesses, medical establishments and repair retail industries.”
To indicate off its wares, ExRobots runs an ‘Ex Future Science and Technology Museum‘ within the metropolis of Dalian, which appears to be like to us considerably like a robotic model of Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, with Einstein and Edison among the many animatronic characters on web site. There is definitely no disgrace right here about leaning into fleshy titillation – further care has clearly been put into the boobular fembots, all the way down to the goosebumps on their silicone leg pores and skin.
ExRobots
The museum permits guests to ‘drive’ a humanoid head with their very own facial expressions utilizing movement seize, and there is a rotating dais you may stand on for 3 minutes to be 3D-scanned, after which there could also be some form of facility to have physique components 3D-printed, as proven within the following video from China International Tv Community – the concept is to exhibit the corporate’s potential to supply customized animatronic mascots and presenters for company purchasers.
Visiting China’s ‘Westworld’ in actuality
So no, expensive dribbling hordes of social media commenters, you are not taking a look at your new AI girlfriends. You are additionally not taking a look at an organization right here that appears concerned about helpful humanoids. You are taking a look at a sophisticated animatronics operation. The video is attention-grabbing as a result of this can be a firm designed to seize consideration. There’s not a lot meat on this sandwich.
However the humanoid house basically is totally teeming with meaty sandwiches in mid-2024. This can be a breakout yr for general-purpose AI-powered robotic employees, and Chinese language firms similar to Unitree, UBTech/Baidu, Astribot, LimX, Kepler, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center and others are making real strides towards robotic laborers able to studying and executing helpful duties.
Certainly, China does not appear to be lagging far behind North American firms like Tesla, Figure, Sanctuary, Agility, Apptronik and others. And we’re very a lot trying ahead to studying extra about what the grandaddy of this discipline – Boston Dynamics – is cooking up with its next-generation Atlas robot, which ditches its extremely athletic predecessor’s hydraulic motors for electrical actuators – and moves like no other humanoid we’ve ever seen.
All New Atlas | Boston Dynamics
So do not get distracted by horny viral movies – or do, I suppose, if that is your bag – however the humanoid revolution is actually kicking into second gear in 2024, and together with AI, it guarantees to fundamentally change human society like few applied sciences earlier than it.
Supply: ExRobots
