China raises the spectre of the Terminator robot
The Chinese military is highlighting the advantages of using humanoid robots on the battlefield, raising the spectre of Hollywood’s depiction of squads of ‘Terminator’ robots.
Chinese companies have been pushing hard on the development of humanoid robots for industrial uses, particularly for car making with robots from Fourier Intelligence and Kepler Robotics. A commentary in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, the official newspaper of China’s military said these types of humanoid tobot could “continue to transform humanity’s perception of the future of warfare”
The commentary looks at the combat advantages of humanoid robots combining tactical flexibility and strategic deterrence in the era of intelligent warfare. However many are driven by the Orin GPU from Nvidia in the US, and Nvidia is promoting its latest version of its Isaac N1 Gr00t AI software for controlling these robots. The Orin and its successor Thor are not currently subject to export restrictions to China, unlike other high performance AI chips from Nvidia.
The PLA highlights the Tien Kung Ultra robot that won the first half-marathon for humanoid robots in Beijing in March. Developed by the state-backed Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre (X-Humanoid, this demonstrated the benefits of a bipedal design for navigating environments such as ruins and staircases.
In the past two years, PLA Daily has highlighted the military uses of humanoid robots. A recent commentary suggested these robots could handle battlefield logistics, including delivering supplies, treating the wounded, and repairing equipment.
The Made in China 2025 programme has been looking to tap into its skills base on the back of its Embodied Intelligent Robot Action Plan, starting with industrial applications.
For example Fourier Intelligence in Shanghai has developed its second generation GR-2 bipedal robot with 53 degrees of freedom, and lays claim to the first commercial humanoid robot being used by car makers.
Chinese car manufacturers can also pre-order humanoid prototypes from UBtech in Shenzhen, and the company says it has received 500 orders to date.
Shanghai Kepler Robotics showed its Forerunner K1 bipedal robot at CES last year, and has made extensive software and hardware modifications for the K2. The company is working with 50 target customers on real-world scenarios in intelligent manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, where the company says the K2 has ‘nearly’ mastered the ability to autonomously complete specific tasks.
Engine AI in Shenzen has also launched its PM01 robot, based on Orin compute modules from Nvidia. These humanoid robots will be tested in car factories through 2025, and the expectation is that it will take two to five years for the technology to migrate from industrial to consumer says Goldman Sachs in its uprated forecast.
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