#robotics

Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing predicts humanoid robots will surpass human speed limits by mid-year, potentially running 100 meters in under 10 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's 9.58-second world record. He says declining component costs and rapid algorithm iteration will drive robots from labs into real-world applications like logistics and industrial inspection. https://technode.com/2026/03/18/unitree-ceo-says-robots-could-surpass-usain-bolts-100m-speed-this-year/ #China #Tech #Robotics #Unitree

AGIBOT has signed its first overseas telecom operator-level partnership with Singtel Enterprise and deployed service robots at Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 5. The company's Expedition A2 robot provides guest reception, navigation assistance and information inquiries at one of the world's busiest aviation hubs. https://pandaily.com/agibot-secures-first-overseas-telecom-partnership-deploys-robots-at-world-class-aviation-hub #China #Tech #Robotics #AGIBOT

First test run completed for Beijing's 2026 Yizhuang humanoid robot half marathon. Over 20 teams from enterprises and universities participated in the trial. This year's race introduces autonomous navigation - robots will use electronic maps to navigate independently. The course includes urban ramps, undulating roads and park paths. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-03-15/First-test-run-completed-for-2026-humanoid-robot-half-marathon-1LwKZJ7mhHO/p.html #China #Tech #Robotics #Humanoid

Chinese embodied AI startup Simplexity Robotics has raised RMB 2 billion (about $280 million) in just six months, becoming the fastest unicorn in the sector. Investors include Tencent, Alibaba, Sequoia China and BlueRun Ventures. The company focuses on high-value embodied AI products built on a unified model architecture. https://pandaily.com/simplexity-robotics-raises-rmb-2-billion-in-just-six-months-becoming-the-fastest-unicorn-in-embodied-ai #China #Tech #AI #Simplexity #Robotics

Li Auto is developing a robotics program under the codename Nexus, planning to release a two-wheeled factory robot as early as mid-2026. The team is led by He Junpei, former hardware partner at robotics startup NineRay Tech, drawing inspiration from Tesla's strategy of focusing on industrial environments before consumer applications. https://pandaily.com/li-auto-may-launch-its-first-two-wheeled-robot-this-year #China #Tech #Robotics #LiAuto

Human cerebellum is a very important brain structure for robotics. In Finnish they are called "the small brains" as they form a sort of a separate brain-like structure in the back of the head where the brains join the spinal column. Cerebellum contains more neurons than the rest of the brain combined. It approximates supervised learning in its main function of modulating motor control, or mapping motor cortex intent into the actual real-time muscle control. That is why its function is so relevant for modern robotics. What it does is that it gets the motor intent from the rest of the brain and tries to predict what sort of largely proprioceptive (posture sense), vestibular and visual result this action should lead to and especially the timings of these outcomes. When the sensory signal comes back, the cerebellum computes the error in the prediction and tunes the motor control signal mapping appropriately. So, the brain motor control is largely proprioceptively and sensory-coded intents, and cerebellum translates or modulates these intents into fine-grained motor control. These structures have inspired and continue to inspire a lot of embodied systems methods in modern robotic AI. #robotics #AI #OpenToWork

One of the harder problems about robotic embodiments is safety. How to guarantee standard-compliant and effective guardrails for generalist robots which are mobile and not limited in the tools they can use? For example, it is practical to install light curtains for industrial robots to prevent anyone from getting into their working area when they are active. But for mobile robots, they can be anywhere, and you can't build a safe operating space for them. Even if your robot is weak in its joints and has no sharp corners, all bets are off once it grabs a power tool, or sits onto a driver's seat of a car. It requires a paradigm shift in safety. You aren't actually trying to limit the robot movement in a classical sense, but you're trying to make it act in a way that prevents harm from happening. In many cases this might involve actual movement rather than stopping movement. Sometimes it requires limiting something outside the robot from happening, for example, if something heavy is about to fall down in a dangerous fashion, the robot should try to stop it. This is of course against the strictly defined rules we have from classical robotic safety methods, but the reason is that those kinds of limited operating envelopes won't make generalist mobile robots safe. There are many rationales for static safe constraint envelopes for robots, for example, if a robot malfunctions, it shouldn't crush anything to death. There are still places for such constraints, but they aren't enough, and trying to approach the safety challenge with only these kinds of methods as the only tools in the toolbox won't lead to a success. The robotic safety systems shouldn't only care about the physical malfunctions of the robot itself, but also malfunctions of other things. For example, if a humanoid robot is preparing food, there might be a food oil fire, and instead of just stopping the robot should put it out. In general robots should be robust against both degradations and extensions of their embodiments to be able to function robustly in the open environment. This alone should in itself be a solid protection against physical malfunctions. If a robot can walk after having lost one leg, it should also function within reason, without causing danger, if one of its servos get stuck active. While hierarchies and layers create robust safety, the highest embodied control layer itself should be made safe, and it shouldn't lean on lower constraint envelopes to produce the safety. The robot must not step on a cat, or cause a cat to be harmed by inaction. If your robotic safety framework ceases to apply when the robot picks up a power tool, or presses the button to activate data center halon extinguishers, it's not framed correctly. #AI #robotics #UniversalEmbodiment #OpenToWork

Galbot, a Chinese humanoid robot maker, raised RMB 2.5 billion (US50 million) in a new funding round led by China's National AI Industry Investment Fund: The round also drew Sinopec, CITIC, SAIC and others, marking the first national fund investment in an embodied intelligence company. https://technode.com/2026/03/02/humanoid-robot-maker-galbot-raises-rmb-2-5-billion/ #China #Tech #Robotics

China's humanoid robot industry is outpacing US rivals in speed and volume: Chinese companies shipped about 36 times more units than American competitors Figure and Tesla combined last year, driven by a robust hardware supply chain built through the EV sector. https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/28/why-chinas-humanoid-robot-industry-is-winning-the-early-market/ #China #Tech #Robotics

China has released its first national-level standard framework for humanoid robots and embodied AI: The framework covers the full industrial chain from core technologies to applications, safety and ethics, and was unveiled at a standardization meeting in Beijing. https://technode.com/2026/02/28/china-releases-first-national-standard-framework-for-humanoid-robots-and-embodied-ai/ #China #Tech #Robotics

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou during a Zhejiang province trip, touring the leading Chinese robotics company's latest innovations: quadruped robot Unitree As2 and humanoid robots G1 and H2 performed boxing, dancing, and martial arts demos. Wang Xingxing expressed optimism about the German market and deeper collaboration with German enterprises. https://technode.com/2026/02/27/german-chancellor-visits-unitree-robotics-in-hangzhou-to-explore-tech-collaboration/ #China #Tech #Robotics

Robot Looks Exactly Like a Roll of Filament, If Filament Had Eyes https://hackaday.com/2026/02/26/robot-looks-exactly-like-a-roll-of-filament-if-filament-had-eyes/ #RobotsHacks #3dprinted #Diy #ESP32 #Googlyeyes #Rc #Remotecontrol #Robotics #Selfbalancing

Xpeng breaks ground on China's first full-chain humanoid robot mass production base in Guangzhou, aiming to deliver advanced humanoid robots by late 2026. The 110,000 square meter facility at Guangtang Sci-Tech Innovation City will leverage Xpeng's vertically integrated capabilities in chips, systems, control and manufacturing from its smart vehicle operations. https://pandaily.com/xpeng-targets-2026-mass-production-of-humanoid-robots-with-new-manufacturing-base #China #Tech #AI #Robotics

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit Unitree Robotics during his upcoming China trip, highlighting China's growing leadership in humanoid robotics and strengthening tech ties between the two countries. Unitree's gained global G1 humanoid robot attention after performing at China's Spring Festival Gala. https://pandaily.com/german-chancellor-merz-to-visit-unitree-robotics-during-china-trip #Tech #China #Robotics #Hardware #Germany

China's robot revolution is reshaping global robotics as Unitree's G1 humanoid robot executes a flawless 720-degree backflip at the Spring Festival Gala. The performance symbolises a structural leap in embodied intelligence, with joints delivering 500Nm torque and carbon-fibre frames under 50kg. China's integrated supply chain compresses development cycles and lowers costs, positioning the nation as a central architect of next-generation robotics. https://www.technologynewschina.com/2026/02/chinas-robot-revolution-in-motion.html #China #Tech #Robotics

AI-driven innovations dominated a university-level robotics competition in India. Engineering students showcased cutting-edge automation and AI innovations at the Robotics Techno-Connect Competition 2026 in Kalyan, organized by University of Mumbai and JANYU Technologies. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/ai-driven-innovations-dominate-university-level-robotics-competition/articleshow/128680553.cms #India #Tech #News #AI #Robotics #EdTech

OpenMind is bridging China's humanoid robots to global markets. Founder says China is 'unquestionably ahead' in robotics hardware. The firm works with Unitree, UBTech and AgiBot on an AI-native operating system. While a robot caused a crowd in San Francisco, the same robot would go unnoticed in Shanghai. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3344172/software-connection-us-firm-opens-doors-global-adoption-chinas-humanoid-robots #China #Tech #Robotics

Unitree Robotics founder says current robotics tech is comparable to a 10-year-old, with large-scale adoption 3-5 years away. Key bottlenecks include limited AI generalisation, low mass-production yields and lack of standardised scenarios. Shipments expected at 10,000-20,000 units in 2026. https://technode.com/2026/02/21/unitree-ceo-says-robot-capability-comparable-to-10-year-old-large-scale-use-3-5-years-away/ #China #Tech #Robotics

China's humanoid robot industry sees explosive growth after Spring Festival Gala showcase. JD.com data shows robot searches surged 300%, inquiries up 460% and order volume jumped 150% within two hours of the broadcast. Domestic shipments reached around 18,000 units in 2025, up 650% year-on-year, and are projected to hit 62,500 in 2026. https://www.technologynewschina.com/2026/02/orders-for-robots-surge-after-spring.html #Robotics #ChinaTech #AI

Humans vs Robots? China Begs to Disagree

The 2026 Spring Festival Gala, one of the world’s most-watched television events, featured humanoid robots performing martial arts, intricate sword dances and comedy skits alongside human celebrities.

While parts of the world view humanoid robots with fear and suspicion, China is increasingly embracing them as partners in work, entertainment and daily life.

China accounted for 90% of the roughly 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally last year, and represented over half of the humanoid robot exhibitors at CES 2026.

📰 Source: SCMP Opinion | https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344083/humans-vs-robots-china-begs-disagree

#China #Tech #Robotics #AI