China's Largest Robot and Artificial Intelligence Exhibition | WAIC 2024 Overview | Pro robots

Introduction

[Music] When it comes to AI, China stands out. Recently, Shanghai hosted the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). The event centered around Global AI governance for the benefit of all but also showcased a plethora of robots and autonomous driving. Over 500 companies participated, including Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla, which brought its second-generation Optimus and even a Cybertruck. Let's dive into WAIC 2024 and uncover its key highlights.

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Advancements and Innovations in AI

China showcased a significant array of advancements in AI at WAIC 2024. This year's record for technologies presented was remarkable: nearly 100 major language models, 50 brand new products, 18 humanoid robots, and more. The PRC actively fosters AI talent through various awards like the Superior AI Leader Award, the WAIC Junfan Award, and many others focused on AI innovation and best practices.

There are dozens of AI assistants in China today, based on large language models. For example, Alipay developed by Ant Group offers over 8,000 services in areas such as travel, healthcare, government, and finance. Alibaba's AI assistant for programmers, Tongyi Ling, speaks more than 100 programming languages and assists in writing, reading, debugging, and optimizing code.

Nevertheless, there is a wave of distrust towards generative AI in China. Some, like the popular science blogger Dr. Tang Chen, express concerns about AI generating meaningless content when it doesn't know an answer.

Humanoid Robots and Their Applications

WAIC 2024 featured an impressive lineup of humanoid robots. Humanoid Robots Limited introduced King Long, China's first full-sized versatile open-source humanoid robot. This robot supports multimodal mobility, perception, interaction, and handling and has been developed to withstand challenging conditions.

Tesla’s Gen 2 Optimus made an appearance, although it remained behind glass. FD Robot demonstrated its T-Bot, boasting 71 degrees of freedom and advanced sensor technologies like 3D Vision and LiDAR for accurate environmental mapping.

Humanoid robots are still primarily in the R&D stage and not yet profitable despite their use in entertainment, healthcare, and factories. For example, UB Tech Robotics has sold 760,000 robots but only ten units of its humanoid Walker robot.

Autonomous Driving and Drones

Shanghai issued the first batch of licenses for unmanned intelligent network cars, allowing drones to operate without human presence. Outside the exhibition venue, companies like Pony and WeRide showcased their capabilities in simulated conditions.

Autoflight unveiled its five-seat electric aircraft, setting a world record for the longest electric vertical takeoff and landing flight. It was quiet, with a noise output of only 60 dB while hovering, representing significant advancements in drone technology.

Exhibitors and Other Highlights

The exhibition also saw unique robots like the face-expressing robot from Fudan University and Kepler's K1 robot designed for versatile application ecosystems. Other notable exhibitors included AGIBOT with its ostrich-leg-inspired Expedition A2 and Zu Robotics with its EXO2 Lite robot.

Deep Robotics showcased their robot dogs that recently learned to walk on their hind legs. These advancements mark a significant step towards integrating AI into everyday life.

Did we miss anything? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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Keywords

• AI
• WAIC 2024
• Shanghai
• Aura
• Humanoid robots
• Tesla Optimus
• Autonomous driving
• Alipay AI
• Tencent Ling
• Data privacy
• Drones
• Fudan University robot
• UB Tech Robotics Walker
• Kepler K1 robot
• AGIBOT Expedition A2
• Zu Robotics EXO2 Lite
• Deep Robotics robot dogs

FAQ

Q: What is WAIC? A: WAIC stands for World Artificial Intelligence Conference, a significant event focused on advancements and global AI governance.

Q: Who participated in WAIC 2024? A: Over 500 companies including Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Alibaba took part in the exhibition.

Q: What new technologies were showcased at WAIC 2024? A: Nearly 100 major language models, 50 new products, and 18 humanoid robots were some of the key highlights.

Q: What are some of the awards given to encourage AI development in China? A: Awards such as the Superior AI Leader Award, WAIC Junfan Award, and Youth AI Innovation Competition recognize and foster AI talent.

Q: What is the focus of AI assistants in China? A: AI assistants like Alipay offer extensive services in travel, healthcare, government, and finance.

Q: What were the notable humanoid robots at WAIC 2024? A: King Long by Humanoid Robots Limited and Tesla's Gen 2 Optimus were key attractions among many others.

Q: What advancements in autonomous driving were exhibited? A: Licenses were issued for unmanned intelligent network cars, and companies demonstrated these in simulated conditions.

Q: What is Autoflight's recent achievement? A: Autoflight set a world record for the longest electric VTOL flight with its new five-seat electric aircraft.