Chinese tech titan Xiaomi (XIACF) has hired a former Tesla (TSLA) robotics expert to lend a hand or two to help power its own humanoid adventures.
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According to a report in the South China Morning Post Xiaomi has hired Zach Lu Zeyu, a former engineer from Tesla’s Optimus team to join its robotics initiatives.
Leading Dexterous Research
Lu previously worked as a senior robotics engineer focused on Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. He joined Xiaomi last month to lead its research into dexterous hand movements and development operations.
Lu introduced himself as the head of XIAOMI-W’s robotic dexterous hand on social media. He expressed his hope to accelerate the convergence of dexterous hand technology paths and its engineering implementation.
During his two years at Tesla, Lu worked on the design for dexterous grasping and manipulation, as well as tactile sensing.
Xiaomi is working on CyberOne, which is a full-size humanoid robot that senses human emotions and interprets environments. Developed by the Xiaomi Robot Lab, the robot reportedly features a full-body control algorithm, 21-joint coordination and a 3D visual spatial system.
Other Chinese tech giants looking to develop humanoid robots include Unitree, which is reportedly eyeing up a $7 billion IPO in Shanghai. Unitree recently released a number of videos last year showing its robots walking, climbing and carrying loads. It also won multiple medals at the World Humanoid Robot Games this summer, including the 4X100 relay.
China Looking Human
Xpeng (XPEV) recently launched the next-generation IRON humanoid robot, which according to the firm, features a bionic “bone–muscle–skin” structure with a flexible spine, synthetic muscles, soft full-body skin, and 22 degrees of freedom in its dexterous hands.
It all means extra pressure on Tesla, which expects to launch Optimus 3 prototypes by the end of 2025, with mass production set to begin in 2026. Each unit is expected to cost between $20,000 and $30,000. Sales will start with businesses and then expand to consumers. It is an important part of Tesla’s growing ecosystem of products – see below:
However, perhaps China’s ambitions will be stalled by its own government. It was reported today that China’s top economic-planning agency has issued a rare public warning about the risks of overheating in the country’s humanoid robotics sector. The National Development and Reform Commission said that the market is growing too fast and may be heading toward a bubble.
According to Morgan Stanley (MS) the number of robots that resemble and act like humans is likely to reach nearly 1 billion by 2050. It added that the humanoids market could surpass $5 trillion by 2050, including sales from supply chains and networks for repair, maintenance, and support.
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