Chinese startup shows off applications of race-winning humanoid robot
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- A Chinese startup demonstrated Friday in Beijing how a robot that recently won a humanoid-only half marathon race can work in a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, logistics, home and health care services.
The developer of the Tien Kung robot, which finished first among the 20 teams in the foot race last month with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, demonstrated to overseas media the machine's functionality such as putting fruit on a plate and completing warehouse logistics tasks.
An official of Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics Co. told reporters, "We hope that Tien Kung will not only be the fastest robot in the future but also the most practical."
It can be used for various purposes such as operations that are too dangerous for humans, as well as helping to improve productivity and efficiency, he added.
The robot also demonstrated its ability to negotiate an incline and walk on sand, grass and gravel surfaces.
China has been keen to promote the development of cutting-edge products such as artificial intelligence-powered humanoid robots and new energy vehicles as it engages in an intensifying technology rivalry with the United States.
In August, the city of Beijing is scheduled to host the World Humanoid Robot Sports Games, which will include track and field, gymnastics and football events designed to test the machines' athletic dexterity, coordination and teamwork capabilities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
China's BYD seeks Japanese talent to enter minicar market
The personnel recruiting site of BYD (From the BYD website) Two Japanese subsidiaries of Chinese auto giant BYD are seeking local professionals who will steer them on the road to success in the Japanese market. The recruiting campaign for experts on sub-660cc minivehicles and trucks was launched on May 19, as BYD is looking to plug an electric minicar in Japan as early as next year. Since the 660cc standard for minivehicles is exclusive to Japan, BYD intends to hire experienced personnel in the country to further ramp up development and production capabilities. BYD has a pair of subsidiaries in Japan: BYD Auto Japan Inc., a passenger car department, and BYD Japan Co., a commercial vehicle division. Its affiliated passenger car company is expected to release an EV in the sub-660cc category in the second half of 2026. The commercial automobile enterprise is likewise working to market an electrified truck model in 2026 at the earliest. The two local branches of BYD on May 19 opened a dedicated recruiting website for personnel. COMMERCIAL STARRING POPULAR ACTRESS Mercedes-Benz topped the list of imported passenger car sales by foreign automakers in Japan in fiscal 2024 with 53,000 units, followed by BMW with 37,000, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. BYD accounted for just 2,000 units or so, as the Chinese maker only began expanding its sales network to Japan in earnest only a few years ago. However, BYD has been doubling down on increasing its presence in the Japanese market over recent years. BYD acquired a factory of Ogihara Corp., a mold manufacturer headquartered in Japan's Gunma Prefecture, in 2010 as part of its endeavor to beef up technological abilities. The Chinese automaker has additionally aired a TV commercial featuring the famed Japanese actress Masami Nagasawa under the catchphrase 'Arikamo, BYD!' (Maybe nice for you is BYD!). BYD has set a goal of scaling up its supply network as well, offering a total of 100 sales outlets by the end of this year. Sub-660cc minicars totaled 35 percent of all automobile sales across Japan in fiscal 2024. However, non-Japanese automakers had long been hesitant about competing at full tilt in the lucrative market, because the categorization is specific solely to Japan. Consequently, foreign auto manufacturers had not made moves to develop minivehicles exclusively for the Japanese market. An electric minicar to be released by BYD next year will be the corporation's first model intended particularly for a designated country. The envisioned EV is expected to be compatible with Japan's unique CHAdeMO recharging system. Aside from this, BYD is planning to start selling a plug-in gas-electric hybrid vehicle in Japan within this year. PHVs are widely thought to serve as a 'bridge' between gasoline-powered cars and EVs, encouraging Japanese makers to pour resources into developing this type of transitional model. BYD has already emerged as a dominant player in the Japanese commercial vehicle market. Representatives from the company claimed that it holds nearly 80 percent of the electric bus market share, as EV coaches become increasingly common, leaving its Japanese counterparts struggling to keep up. BYD's next plan is to replicate the same success in the electric minivehicle market as well. MAY BENEFIT JAPANESE AUTOMAKERS With the latest development in mind, Toshihiro Suzuki, president of Suzuki Motor Corp., the leader in the overall domestic minicar business, rolled out the red carpet for BYD's goal. 'It is great news for us,' Suzuki said during a news conference on Suzuki Motor's financial results on May 12. He insisted that BYD's entry to Japan may bring positive momentum to the minicar market. 'BYD is an immensely judicious enterprise,' Suzuki said. 'The fact that such a company is entering our market with EV models focused on minivehicles indicates that compact cars are a good match for EVs.' Referring to BYD's decision, Suzuki believes that the Chinese corporation 'seems to consider compact cars much more suited for electrification than large, heavy vehicles.' Suzuki Motor will put on sale its commercial EV model developed jointly with Toyota Motor Corp. and Daihatsu Motor Co. by the end of fiscal 2025 as the first step. Suzuki Motor is similarly currently involved in the development of an electric passenger minivehicle. 'We will be drawing up a range of strategies while engaging in healthy competition" with the new rival from China, Suzuki said. 'We still have a lot to learn from it in terms of price competitiveness, whereas we will make exhaustive efforts to protect our minicar market at the same time.' (This article was written by Daisuke Matsuoka and Kaname Ohira.)
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Huawei founder says chips still lag 'one generation' behind U.S.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said the US had 'exaggerated' Huawei's achievements Chinese tech giant Huawei's chips still "lag behind the United States by one generation", state media quoted its founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying in a rare interview on Tuesday. Washington last month unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically Huawei's Ascend chips, would put them at risk of violating U.S. export controls. The Shenzhen-based company has been at the centre of an intense standoff between the economic supergiants after Washington warned its equipment could be used for espionage byBeijing, an allegation Huawei denies. Speaking to the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, 80-year-old Ren insisted the United States had "exaggerated" Huawei's achievements. Tougher controls in recent years have prevented U.S. chip giant Nvidia, one of Huawei's rivals, from selling certain AI semiconductors -- widely regarded as the most advanced in the world -- to Chinese firms. As a result, it is now facing tougher competition from local players in the crucial market, including Huawei. Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang told reporters last month that Chinese companies "are very, very talented and very determined, and the export control gave them the spirit, the energy and the government support to accelerate their development". But Ren said Huawei was "not that great yet", according to the article published on the newspaper's front page Tuesday. "Many companies in China are making chips, and quite a few are doing well -- Huawei is just one of them," he added. When asked about "external blockades and suppression" -- a veiled reference to U.S. export restrictions on Beijing -- Ren said he had "never thought about it". "Don't dwell on the difficulties, just get the job done and move forward step by step," he added. Sanctions since 2019 have curtailed the firm's access to U.S.-made components and technologies, forcing it to diversify its growth strategy. China has accused the United States of "bullying" and "abusing export controls to suppress and contain" the country's firms. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
U.S.-China trade, export control talks push through second full day in London
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng leaves Lancaster House, on the second day scheduled for trade talks between the U.S. and China, in London, Britain, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville By Kate Holton, Alistair Smout and Andrea Shalal Trade talks between the U.S. and China in London are going well and could spill into a third day, U.S. negotiators said, as the two superpowers pushed for a breakthrough on dueling export controls that had threatened to unravel a delicate tariff truce. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he hoped the talks would end on Tuesday evening, but said they may run into Wednesday. "I think the talks are going really, really well. We're very much spending time and effort and energy - everybody's got their head down working closely," he told reporters at Lancaster House, where the two teams have met for two days. "I hope they end this evening, but if they need be, we'll be here tomorrow," he said as the U.S. delegation arrived for evening talks with Chinese officials. Negotiators paused for a break earlier before reconvening at about 8 p.m. No details were immediately available from the meetings, which stretched for more than five hours following a full day on Monday. A White House official also said the U.S.-China trade talks were going "fine," but declined to provide details. Having agreed to step back from a full-blown trade embargo at a first round of talks in Geneva in May, the two sides are now seeking agreement after they accused each other of trying to throttle supply chains with a raft of export controls. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Monday that the U.S. could lift recently imposed export controls on goods such as semiconductors if China sped up the delivery of rare earths and magnets that are crucial to its economy. The blow-up over rare earths, which has sparked alarm in boardrooms and factory floors around the world, came after last month's preliminary deal in Geneva to cut tariffs, which eased investor fears that a trade war would lead to a global slowdown. William Reinsch, a trade expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the meeting's length may indicate difficulty in the negotiations. "My read is Trump is very anxious his team comes back with something he can brag about, and it looks like the Chinese are holding out, said Reinsch, a former U.S. official. "That said, I expect there to be some kind of agreement eventually, and you can be sure he'll call it a big success, regardless of what's in it." Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council, said the extended nature of the talks this week could point to more detailed discussions. "My sense of that is that they're getting granular at this point, which should be seen as a positive," he said, although he cautioned against expecting a major breakthrough this week. TARIFF TURMOIL U.S. President Donald Trump's shifting tariff policies have roiled global markets, sparked congestion and confusion in major ports, and cost companies tens of billions of dollars in lost sales and higher costs. The World Bank on Tuesday slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3%, saying higher tariffs and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. But markets have made up much of the losses they endured after Trump unveiled his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs in April, aided by the reset in Geneva between the world's two biggest economies. The second round of U.S.-China talks, which followed a rare phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, comes at a crucial time for both economies. Customs data published on Monday showed that China's exports to the U.S. plunged 34.5% in May, the sharpest drop since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. While the impact on U.S. inflation and its jobs market has so far been muted, tariffs have hammered U.S. business and household confidence and the dollar remains under pressure. The talks have been led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with the Chinese contingent helmed by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The two sides met for almost seven hours on Monday and resumed just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, with both expected to issue updates later in the day. The inclusion of Lutnick, whose agency oversees export controls for the U.S., indicates just how central rare earths have become. He did not attend the Geneva talks, when the countries struck a 90-day deal to roll back some of the triple-digit tariffs they had placed on each other. China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in electric vehicle motors, and its decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets upended global supply chains. In May, the U.S. responded by halting shipments of semiconductor design software and chemicals and aviation equipment, revoking export licences that had been previously issued. Hassett said he expected any export controls from the U.S. to be eased and rare earths released in volume once the two sides had shaken hands in London. But he said any easing would not include the "very, very high-end Nvidia stuff," referring to Nvidia's most advanced artificial-intelligence chips that have been blocked from going to China over concerns about potential military applications. "I'm talking about possible export controls on other semiconductors which are also very important to them," he said. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
