Humanoid machines demonstrated their ability to pick up litter and sort flowers on Tuesday in Beijing, showcasing how robots might assist with household tasks. This event, hosted by startup X Square Robot, was modest compared to other robot exhibitions but highlighted a shift in focus for Chinese companies toward practical applications of robots in daily life. Wang Qian, CEO of X Square Robot, noted that while the hardware exists, the technology for the artificial intelligence “brain” still needs improvement.
Simple household chores like tidying, loading a dishwasher, or folding clothes remain difficult for robots, as they struggle to adapt to the complexities of real-life environments. Wang explained that unlike tasks requiring repetitive actions, household tasks require advanced AI to deal with variations in conditions. X Square Robot claims to have developed the AI model Wall-B, trained on data from over 100 households to improve robot performance in unpredictable settings.
The company plans to introduce Wall-B into its home-cleaning robots by late May. Recently, X Square partnered with 58.com, allowing users in Shenzhen to book both a human cleaner and a home-cleaning robot for a 3-hour shift at the cost of 149 yuan ($21.90). Although users have reported that the robots are slow and clumsy, Wang believes that real household experience will enhance their capabilities. He also highlighted the market potential for these robots, noting that household labor represents about 20% of GDP. X Square Robot, founded less than three years ago, has attracted significant investment from major Chinese tech companies.
With information from Reuters
