the World Robot Conference 2024 Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Amid a collection of robots that bear an uncanny resemblance to humans at the grand entrance of the World Robot Conference 2024, a reporter inquired of a young boy, "Can you tell which one is human?"

With a grin, the boy confidently pointed to a particular robot and remarked, "It must be this woman. I see her false eyelashes."

The humanoid robots on display at the conference in Beijing present a striking departure from the robots displayed at World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai earlier in July. The robots showcased in Beijing closely mimic human features. 

Many advanced robots displayed are able to simulate human skin and facial characteristics, enabling them to replicate human expressions and movements with remarkable accuracy. Their height and weight are closer to that of humans, and robots between 1.7 and 1.8 meters tall are not uncommon. 

The industry widely predicts that 2024 will be the "year zero" for the practical application of humanoid robots, with various companies entering the mass production phase and attempting commercial deployment. 

No longer confined to the realm of high-tech laboratories, robots are gradually transitioning from experimental settings to industrial environments and then into households. 

China's Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center brought its new humanoid robot, NAVIAI, to the conference. On the scene of the conference, NAVIAI robot showed the audience its skilled techniques such as delivering a speech, tea making and chess, and the action was silky and stunning. 

With a height of 1.65 meters and weight of about 60 kilograms, the robot was designed with reference to human beings, greatly enhancing the quasi-human nature and affinity, the Global Times learnt from the center.

Another robot model, the Astribot S1 assistant robot, shows its ability to fold clothes and fry waffles in the promotional video, while in the center of the booth, an assistant robot is performing calligraphy on the spot.

Unitree Technology brought its universal humanoid robot H1-2 and its humanoid agent Unitree G1. "Since the end of last year, our industrial humanoid robots have been placed in the final assembly workshops of major factories, replacing human workers,'' Ma Ping, the vice president from Unitree Technology, told the Global Times. 

Also, Wanda, a wheeled dual-arm humanoid robot developed by UniX AI, transformed into a chef, showcasing its operational skills in the kitchen scene. This humanoid robot is positioned as a home service robot, assisting humans in completing simple household tasks such as laundry, folding clothes, and making breakfast. 

Robots from GalaxyBot are reportedly now capable of handling multiple tasks in various scenarios. They have already entered some leading automotive companies to undertake tasks and are expected to make appearances in the pharmaceutical and retail stores around October, creating a group of unmanned drugstores and convenience stores.

At the conference, the reporter also saw the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot showcased for the first time in Beijing. Its walking speed has increased by 30 percent comparing to previous year, and its 10 fingers have been enhanced with perception and tactile functions. 

It reportedly has been undergoing battery sorting training in the Tesla factory by mimicking manual operations. Next year, over 1,000 similar robots will be deployed in the factory to assist in completing production tasks, Zhengquan Shibao reported. 

Industrial robots represented by robotic arms have already entered factories. At this stage, the scenarios are relatively structured, with relatively low requirements for the walking ability and flexibility of robots, Henan-based news outlet Dahe Cailifang quoted Liu Cong, Vice President of iFlytek, as saying.

It is expected that humanoid robots will gradually enter various industries in the next 3-5 years, and enter households in the next 5-10 years, Liu told the media. During this process, the scenarios will become more complex, with higher requirements for the walking and interaction capabilities of robots, he added. 

While in the long run, humanoid robots still need 5-8 years at minimum to develop intelligent decision-making capabilities for complex scenes in households, Hong Shaodun, an industry observer told the Global Times. 

By 2025, China's humanoid robot innovation system will be initially established, and with breakthroughs in core technology, the complete machine products will reach international advanced levels and achieve mass production, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

In the address to the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Robot Conference, the President of the World Robotics Organization and Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Qiao Hong said that with these core components, such as high-torque motors, high-performance chips, precision reducers, high-precision sensors, and long-lasting batteries, a more stable and high-performance hardware system for humanoid robots can be built. 

At the same time, based on artificial intelligence technologies such as neural networks, humanoid robots will be able to automatically construct modules such as legs, arms, and torso according to the scene and task requirements, achieving collaborative optimization of its physical form and control, according to Qiao.