what’s new
A Chinese technology company announced earlier this week that it has begun mass production of universal robots.
AgiBot, also known as Zhiyuan, a start-up that launched in February 2023, she posted a video on their website of their new bots on December 16.
The company has produced almost 1,000 humanoid robots so far The Global Times.
#AgibotThe Chinese robotics startup, which launched in February 2023, caused quite a stir in the industry when it announced that it had already started mass production of universal robots. #Teslathe American giant of electric cars, imagines the launch of mass production… pic.twitter.com/i4ZLl35wnt
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 19, 2024
Why it matters
The US is also pushing the development of humanoid robots, with Tesla showing off the latest iteration of its own bot at the We, Robot event in October. Now the US appears to be racing China to be the first country with humanoid robots available for commercial use.
CEO Elon Musk said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, earlier this year that Tesla would have its robots ready for companies by 2026, showing that the two countries are going after each other to get the robots to market, with it looks like China will intervene. lead.
Musk wrote: “Tesla will have really useful humanoid robots next year in low production for internal Tesla use and hopefully high production for other companies in 2026.”
Tesla will have really useful humanoid robots in low production next year for Tesla’s internal use and hopefully high production for other companies in 2026
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2024
What to know
AgiBot shared a four-minute video showing the stages of its robotic production line at its Lingang Fengxian factory in Shanghai.
This includes warehouse racking, component assembly, component testing, aging tests and performance testing, where some of the company’s pre-built robots are shown to assist the process.
AgiBot has previously said it is “proud to be at the forefront of innovation in humanoid robotics”.
“As a growing company in this space, we are committed to full technology development that includes everything from wheeled robots to bipedal humanoid robots,” the company added.
The company shared that it is working on creating robots that “move with precision and stability.” This includes developing dexterous hands so that robots can “mimic human capabilities for complex tasks”.
AgiBot is also working on “massive data collection” to advance artificial intelligence (AI) training and equip its robots with “intelligent brains to seamlessly interact with the world around them.”
Tesla has been developing its robot for the past few years, but has not yet mentioned whether it will mass produce them.
While AgiBot has talked about the complexity of the work it hopes its robots will be able to perform, Musk’s robots seem better suited for common, everyday tasks.
Tesla’s Optimus robot is described by the company as a “universal, bipedal, humanoid robot capable of performing tasks that are dangerous, repetitive, or boring.”
When the latest version was unveiled at an event on October 10, Musk said: “What can it do? It will do anything you want it to do.”
“It can be a teacher, watch your kids. It can walk your dog, mow the lawn, buy groceries, be your friend, serve drinks. Anything you can think of, it will do,” he added.
What people are saying
@China_Focus said on X: “Before you see Tesla mass-produce humanoid robots by 2026, take a tour of Agibot’s manufacturing facility! Agibot, a Chinese robotics startup launched in February 2023, has begun series production of universal humanoid robots and has reportedly produced at least 962 humanoids.”
What will happen next?
As China moves forward in the race to mass-produce humanoid robots, there has been considerable excitement about the rapidly approaching potential of robots to perform common everyday tasks.
