Beijing robot expo shows AI machines at work

Robots sorted parcels, assembled simple food and played table tennis at Beijing's World Robot Conference on Wednesday as companies promoted uses for embodied AI in homes, shops, logistics and factories.

Hundreds of robotics companies used the event to show machines carrying out tasks such as handling packages, making a sandwich and serving toy fried chicken. The Chinese government has embraced robotics as a strategic industry, and local firms have invested in embodied AI.

Kang Yu, a Beijing-based investor attending the expo for a third year, said the key question was when robots would enter many industries and homes. She said that would require “a certain level of intelligence”.

Soumodip Sarkar, the executive president of a science park in Portugal, said the technology had improved year by year. He pointed to advances in robotic hands, including machines that can now pick up fruit, as important for agricultural uses.

The industry still faces problems. Kang said poor internet connections could slow response times. The item also cited geopolitical obstacles, including Washington's blacklisting of Unitree and other Chinese technology firms it says are aiding the military.

Yu Chao, founder and CEO of Lumos Robotics, said the humanoid robot industry had not yet had its “ChatGPT moment”. He said he thought it could happen in about three years.