The world's first open-source general-purpose full-size humanoid robot made its debut at the 2024 World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Thursday.
Named Healthy Loong, the full-size humanoid robot is independently developed by the Shanghai-based National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center. Standing at 180 centimeters tall and weighing 80 kilograms, the humanoid robot confidently walked onto the stage and, guided by the staff's voice instructions, performed the desk cleaning task.
Healthy Loong features highly lifelike body structure and human-like motion control, equipped with robust movement functions including stable walking on slopes and resistance to impact interference, making it an ideal embodiment of general artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, a general-purpose humanoid robot intelligent training ground and an open-source community website for robots were also launched at the event.
"We have released the full stack technology related to humanoid robots to the public as open source, including the brain, cerebellum, and limb technologies. In the next five to 10 years or even longer, it will allow for greater applications in areas such as household services and caregiving," said Xu Bin, general manager of the innovation center.
Themed "Governing AI for Good and for All" this year, the four-day WAIC officially kicked off on Thursday, attracting more than 500 exhibitors including global giants like Tesla and Microsoft with over 1,500 innovative products being showcased.
World’s first open-source general-purpose humanoid robot makes debut at WAIC 2024
World’s first open-source general-purpose humanoid robot makes debut at WAIC 2024
The Chinese government issued an action plan on Wednesday to reduce logistics costs and boost economic efficiency, with the goal of lowering the ratio of social logistics costs to GDP to around 13.5 percent by 2027.
By 2027, the country expects to further optimize the structure of goods transport, and strengthen the national logistics hub system and modern logistics service network, said the plan issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
China will further optimize its national cargo transport system, with the goal of raising the share of railway freight volume and railway freight turnover to about 11 percent and 23 percent, respectively, by 2027. Port container transport via rail and water is also expected to maintain strong growth.
"The ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP reflects both the cost efficiency of the logistics sector and the organizational quality of the industrial and supply chains. In 2023, this ratio in China was 14.4 percent. Based on China's 2023 GDP, a 0.9 percentage point decrease from 14.4 percent to 13.5 percent would cut total logistics costs by over one trillion yuan (about 138 billion U.S. dollars), generating significant corporate profits," said Lu Chengyun, deputy director of the logistics department at the Integrated Transport Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission.
To effectively improve logistics efficiency and cut costs, many logistics hub cities across China are introducing new initiatives, focusing on areas such as improving multimodal transport systems, establishing direct freight train services, and ensuring the open sharing and connectivity of logistics data across different platforms.
Huai'an City in east China's Jiangsu Province is home to the province's largest inland river port. This year, Huai'an Port partnered with leading global shipping companies to link domestic inland river routes with international ocean shipping lines, creating a more efficient and convenient logistics channel for import and export businesses.
"In the past, goods from inland areas were usually transported by road first and then shipped by sea. Now, the process begins with inland river transport, followed seamlessly by sea transport, which reduces the time and procedures for goods transport, cutting the average logistics cost per container by nearly 50 percent. Besides, integration and facilitation measures for customs clearance, such as direct cargo pick-up at the ship, immediate loading upon arrival at ports, and the same vessel for both domestic and international shipments, have all contributed to reducing transport time," said Yang Shan, a foreign trade staff member from a Huai'an-based shipping company.
Starting in 2024, the Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal train service, featuring shorter transport time, more stable operations, and lower costs, has begun operating on a weekly schedule. Freight trains carrying products such as new energy vehicles and machinery parts depart from Zhuzhou City in central China's Hunan Province, heading directly to Nansha Port in Guangdong Province in the south where the goods are prepared for export to Africa.
"Previously, our Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal train service didn't have a direct route. Now, with the new service, the transport time from Zhuzhou to Guangzhou has been cut from 72 hours to just 20 hours. We are also continuously optimizing rail freight costs, and through resource integration, we have reduced logistics costs by about 2,500 yuan (about 345 U.S. dollars) per container," said Zhang Jian, chairman of a Zhuzhou-based logistics company.
In Zibo City of east China's Shandong Province, real-time logistics data of bulk commodities is monitored and analyzed on trading platforms. Such platforms can monitor the status of cargo trucks throughout the entire process, from loading and transport to unloading, enabling more efficient logistics planning and cost savings.
China issues action plan to cut national logistics costs
