Last week, China unveiled a new humanoid robot training ground in Pudong District, Shanghai. The facility, previously known as the Humanoid Robot Kylin Training Ground, is currently capable of training more than 100 robots at a time. Plans are afoot to scale training up to 1,000 robots by 2027.
The initiative is one driven by the Chinese government, which is funding the training of humanoid robots in a series of 10 different scenarios. The National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center aims to develop a robust platform for training robots, which will later be deployed to newer facilities in China.
China’s Deep Snake
The country feels that humanoid robots are next in line for a boom, according to Zhang Hongtao, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatisation.
“Humanoid robots and embodied intelligence technology are on the verge of a big boom thanks to the continuous innovation and breakthroughs achieved in the fields of algorithm optimization, hardware upgrades, and data collection, which have laid a solid foundation for the humanoid robot industry’s upgrading and wide application,” Zhang said.
Xing Boyang, research director for the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, added, “As the training ground’s operation matures, it will be expanded nationwide. These training grounds are expected to develop into a national-level platform of embodied intelligent technology, promote the new quality productive forces of China’s humanoid robot industry, and provide a strong impetus for cultivating national strategic emerging industries and future industries.”
The Shanghai facility will also unveil China’s next-generation robot, codenamed “Deep Snake”, later this year. Details of China’s upcoming robot are scant but it’s supposed to offer improved flexibility and intelligence. What that’s being compared to is uncertain, but it may have some way to go before it can take on the likes of Boston Dynamics’ new and improved Atlas robot.
