- Robotic human figures are participating in Beijing's forthcoming initiative to boost China's export sector.
China leads the globe in solar power plants, battery technology, and shipbuilding, and now humanoid robots join the roster of achievements. This expansion in Chinese dominance was evident at the World Robot Conference 2024 held in Beijing.
Some robots are built to resemble the human form, but the ones that garner the most interest feature a human-like face and expressions. It has been pointed out by critics that certain exhibits may conceal humans within, yet this is not true for most. The humanoid similitude is confined to the head and hands, as metal joints are clearly visible on the arms.
Striking Realism
The most surprising aspect is the striking realism in the faces. The female robots with oversized anime eyes bear a resemblance to popular sex dolls in the West. Yet, it's not just "sexy robots" that are on display. One of the standout stars, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua, is a silver-haired sushi chef. He exhibits visible wrinkles and veins beneath the skin – the line between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred.
This is not mere chance. In China, robotics is a key component of Xi Jinping's "new productive forces" policy. Consequently, the exhibition was visited by high-ranking officials, with Premier Li Qiang delivering a speech that emphasized the vast market potential of the robot industry and the necessity to promote and popularize robots in various sectors – such as industry, agriculture, and the service sector.
Robots at the Core of Beijing's Policies
Expressions are not merely a gimmick, but the crucial factor in forging an emotional bond with users. Li Boyang, co-founder and CEO of Ex-Robots, explained to the agency, "Our core technologies encompass the intelligent facial expressions of the robot and its nimble hands. Our algorithms focus on models that enhance emotional and perception capabilities, as well as intelligent decision-making and human-like interaction skills such as language, facial expressions, and gestures."
To function as a human companion, robots must comprehend and respond to emotions. They must recognize facial expressions and emotional cues. This closely mirrors China's economic strategy, as it supports targeted research alongside start-ups. A research group headed by Liu Xiaofeng presented an algorithm for generating facial expressions in humanoid robots. However, Liu emphasized that aligning language with appropriate facial expressions remains a challenging task.
Public reactions varied. Humanoid robots elicited awe, yet interacting with them felt a bit disconcerting. They are far from being able to carry on a casual conversation. This limits their applications. These robots could perhaps explain exhibit information in museums or work in restaurants, but they wouldn't be expected to exhibit the empathy required in healthcare settings.
2024 stands to be the "Starting Point" for humanoid robots in China. By 2025, these robots are expected to reach the highest international standards and enter mass production, as per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Yet, this is just the beginning. Chinese experts predict that it will take another five to eight years before these machines are fully integrated into households. Limited applications, such as an emotional support robot to accompany and converse with elderly, isolated individuals, may be more achievable in the near future. However, Reuters highlights that supply chains and the production of components are still in their early stages, requiring improvement and cost reduction.
The government's ambitious timeline suggests that robots with human-like faces are not intended to be a mere novelty; they could potentially be Beijing's solution to an aging and shrinking population.
The Commission at the World Robot Conference 2024, held in Beijing, recognized the silver-haired sushi chef robot as one of the standout stars, highlighting the importance of robotics in China's "new productive forces" policy proposed by Xi Jinping.
To effectively function as human companions, robots, such as those developed by Ex-Robots, must possess the ability to recognize and respond to human emotions, reflecting China's economic strategy that supports targeted research in this field.
