A life-size humanoid robot known as Qinglong made its debut at the 2024 World AI Conference (WAIC) in east China's Shanghai Municipality on Thursday, impressing attendees with its wide range of motion and human-like capabilities.
The open-source general-purpose robot is one of the latest innovations to be displayed at the WAIC 2024 which is scheduled from Thursday to Sunday, with 500 exhibitors, including global giants like Tesla and Microsoft, showcasing more than 1,500 innovative products.
Standing at 1.82 meters tall and weighing 80 kilograms, the humanoid robot is designed to walk, run, jump, and withstand impacts just like a human.
It can easily grasp and place various objects with a highly bionic body structure and AI-driven system.
The robot was developed by the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, with the facility serving as a top-level research and development platform as well as a robotics training ground, where Qinglong learns to complete various activities.
"Tasks such as elaborate household tasks or intelligent manufacturing in industrial settings require a large model operating system to coordinate everything efficiently," said Xing Boyang, a research and development director at the center.
"In the future, companies and developers in the humanoid robot industry in China will be able to conduct in-depth development and continuous iterations based on Qinglong," said Xu Bin, the center's general manager.
By 2027, the center is expected to accommodate the training of up to 1,000 humanoid robots, as work continues to promote the application of humanoid robots into more real-life scenarios.
Life-size humanoid robot Qinglong shows off skills as it debuts at WAIC 2024
The United States has long been the major external factor affecting Haiti's security, stability, and development, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, on Monday, who also condemned the U.S. for exacerbating Haiti's economic challenges by imposing sweeping tariffs.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Geng expressed China's deep concern over Haiti's worsening crisis and rampant gang violence, its near-collapse state, and the desperate situation of its population.
For over a century, the United States has blatantly deployed troops, installed puppet governments, and manipulated Haiti's constitution, entrenching itself in Haiti's political affairs, said Geng.
He noted that just a year ago, the United States orchestrated the current political transition arrangements in Haiti. However, following a shift in its own government, the United States has turned a blind eye to that very transition, leaving Haiti mired in internal conflict and turmoil.
According to Geng, the United States has always been the main source of weapons for Haiti, allowing illegal weapons to flow into Haiti from Florida.
In October 2023, the United States spearheaded the formation of the Multinational Security Support Mission, pledging financial support. However, in the past year and more, its actual contributions have been relatively limited. At one point, the Untied States even attempted to convert the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation, citing a lack of funds, said Geng.
This is an apparent act to shift the burden onto the UN and its member states, treating them as little more than an ATM machine, Geng added.
Geng also highlighted the U.S. role in undermining Haiti's development.
While professing support for the Haitian people, the United States has significantly cut foreign aid and continued deporting Haitian immigrants on the pretext of national priorities when Haiti is in dire need of support, said the Chinese envoy. "What is even more shocking is that not long ago, while the United States defied world opinion by imposing sweeping tariffs on all trade partners, it also extended its so-called baseline tariff of 10 percent to Haiti, one of the world's least developed countries as defined by the UN. This act of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying is not just aimed at the so-called competitors like China. It has also inflicted damage on a nation teetering on the edge of collapse, such as a fragile country like Haiti, where the people are in dire straits. This is not only cruel and absurd, but also profoundly heartbreaking," said Geng.
Chinese envoy slams US for negative role in Haiti's crisis
