Twisting Yangge on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala and dancing street dance "detonated" social platforms...... At the beginning of the year, the "big show" of Unitree Robot reminds us that artificial intelligence has entered the next wave - embodied intelligence.
How "capable" is embodied intelligence? Generally speaking, the embodied intelligent system can be regarded as the "Android" in the field of robotics, which enables the robot to perceive, learn and interact dynamically with the environment, changing from "specialized" to "universal".
Stepping into the advanced track, whether the next "swiping" embodied robot will be born in Shenzhen has become a hot topic at the two sessions in Shenzhen. In fact, Shenzhen's robots are also refreshing their sense of presence at the rate of "one day at a time". From singing and dancing performances on the stage, to walking freely on city streets, to accurately completing handling and quality inspection tasks on the factory floor, embodied intelligent robots are challenging public perception with a "super-evolution" attitude in Shenzhen.
"Robots are no longer 'marionettes', but 'living beings' that can perceive and think." This is how industry insiders define the transformative meaning of embodied intelligence. It is understood that at present, the localization rate of Shenzhen's head humanoid robot enterprises exceeds 90%, and the localization rate of the industrial chain and supply chain exceeds 60%, and behind the key indicators is a subversive breakthrough in the technological paradigm.
Taking UBTECH's Walker S as an example, this robot equipped with a six-dimensional force sensor and a high-performance servo drive has achieved complex tasks such as door lock quality inspection and lamp cover inspection at the NIO factory, and its humanoid arm design can stably handle 15 kg of heavy objects. The CL-1 robot can complete large-span dynamic handling in warehouse scenarios, and can still maintain a closed-loop control of the whole body in the face of terrain changes and load adjustments. These breakthroughs stem from the synergy between the "AI brain" and the "physical cerebellum": Huawei's and Tencent's large models provide decision-making support, Pacini Technology's multi-dimensional tactile sensors achieve 0.01N level of precise force control, and Zhaowei's 17-degree-of-freedom dexterous hand gives the robot "human-like" operation ability.
Technological breakthroughs such as these have laid Shenzhen's first-mover advantage in the embodied intelligence track. "China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with Shenzhen at its core, accounts for more than 55% of the embodied smart supply chain. If the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were to be considered an independent entity, its share would reach 24%, which is comparable to Europe and surpasses Japan. This fully shows that Shenzhen has played a key role in maintaining China's dominant position in the global competition for embodied intelligence. Liu Shaoshan, director of the Embodied Intelligence Center of the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (AIRS), said.
Shenzhen's practice has given a compromise answer - "diversified forms and standardized cores". In the industrial field, UBTECH's Walker S Lite adapts to automotive production lines through lightweight design; In the field of municipal services, Pacini TORA-ONE is competent for warehousing and logistics with its 1.86-meter adjustable height, and in the field of education, the Alpha Bot 1S realizes the seamless switch between electronic assembly and life services. This strategy of "one core and multiple morphisms" not only retains the scalability of humanoid robots, but also avoids falling into the trap of form worship.
Although Shenzhen is at the forefront of the wave of embodied intelligence, challenges remain: the mass production accuracy of tactile sensors, the energy efficiency of motion control, and the scene generalization ability of multi-modal large models...... These problems require collaborative breakthroughs from industry, academia and research. To this end, Han Yu, a member of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, mentioned in his proposal that through the precise investment of special venture capital sub-funds and R&D funds, scenario-based ecological construction and risk sharing mechanism, the core problem of "going from 0 to 1" of start-up teams can be effectively solved, and a globally competitive AI and robotics innovation cluster will be truly cultivated.
When embodied intelligent robots jump out of the laboratory, take to the streets, and enter the home, Shenzhen's exploration on this road is not only about industrial upgrading, but also points to the ultimate proposition of how humans and agents can coexist. Who is the next "swipe" robot? Let's wait and see.