Learning-capable robots set to enter Chinese industries

China is exploring wide-ranging applications for embodied intelligence robotics, demonstrating how precise movements and child-like learning capabilities could transform industries.

Recently, Beijing issued the first catering business license to an embodied intelligence robot, meaning that an AI-empowered robot may soon be serving up food and stocking aisles in the Chinese capital.

According to its developer, the robot can complete the whole process of making several cuisines including French fries and onion rings. More impressive, it can learn to make new menu items autonomously, make judgments based on historical data and its environment, and adjust stocking and work arrangements based on weather, customer flow and other information.

In essence, the machine is set apart from previous generations of robots because it can act based on autonomous learning rather than prior programming.

At the National and Local Co-built Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center -- formerly Beijing Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center -- researchers have built robot training scenes. In one supermarket scenario, a robot is sorting goods under the guidance of their human supervisor via motion capture technology. The robot learns the logic of human actions, an essential part of its learning process.

"In the process, the system actually takes record of very dense and extensive information, including the strength, angle of the joints, the posture of the whole hand, the visual perception information, and the internal decision-making process. Today it is handling mangoes, tomorrow it might be oranges and the day after tomorrow apples. Further down the line it might be a workpiece on the factory assembly line or a household item. The robot will know how to operate them all. This is just like the learning process of a little child. We gave it some rewards or punishments for certain behavior and it will know how to deal with similar scenarios in the future," said Xiong Youjun, general manager of the innovation center.

In the future, the innovation center plans to build a million-level high-density, high-quality, and high-versatility data set to create the world's largest embodied intelligent robot data factory and open the data to the industry.  

Learning-capable robots set to enter Chinese industries

China urged the European Union (EU) to be clearly aware of the harm of imposing additional tariffs, as it will not solve any problems, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday at the ASEAN summit that China must adapt its behavior to solve the escalating trade row with Europe.

When asked to respond to Michel's statements, Mao said that on the economic and trade disputes between China and the EU, China made clear its position more than once.

"The EU needs to see clearly that higher tariffs solve no problem and will only undermine the EU’s business environment, weaken Chinese companies’ confidence in investment and cooperation in Europe, reduce the competitiveness of the EU’s relevant industry, and destabilize global industrial and supply chains. This will backfire and do no one good. We urge the EU to take concrete actions and work with China to find solutions through consultation and avoid further escalation of the trade frictions," she said.

EU needs to see clearly higher tariffs solve no problem: spokeswoman