From Robot Marathon to Boxing Ring: China’s Humanoid Robots Take on New Challenges
In the field of technology, China is making comprehensive efforts from food supplies to space.
Eating and Health
On May 23, Hainan University announced that they have cultivated a type of rice with “tea benefits.”
This new type of rice contains catechins, a compound found in tea, known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular protection effects. This rice is expected to allow people sensitive to caffeine in tea to benefit from tea’s health properties through their staple food.
Robot Boxing Tournament
A month ago, a Chinese robot participated in a marathon in Beijing. Last Sunday, it entered the boxing ring.
On May 25, the CMG World Robot Competition Series held its Mech Combat competition in Hangzhou, the first-ever fighting competition featuring humanoid robots. The competition was broadcast live on CCTV’s Science and Education Channel. After fierce battles, the black team’s “AI Strategist” won the championship, thanks to its excellent shock resistance and tactical execution.
One slight drawback of the competition was that the four participating Unitree G1 humanoid robots were relatively small, standing only 130 cm tall and weighing 35 kg. Also, the competition was controlled remotely by human engineers, with the robots executing actions like jabs and kicks.
However, Chinese tech enthusiasts won’t disappoint you for long. This Wednesday, news broke that a robot fighting competition will be held in Shenzhen Longgang this December, featuring “full-size humanoid robots.”
Chip Investment Increases
In the humanoid robot field, China is testing practical capabilities through competitions like combat and marathons. In the chip sector, the “National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Phase II,” led by the Ministry of Finance, is also taking active steps.
On May 27, the “National Big Fund Phase II” established a new industrial investment company in Xiamen. According to the Chinese enterprise information platform Tianyancha, this company has a registered capital of 50 million yuan and deals in integrated circuit sales and design.
Although the company has just been established, based on the past achievements of the “National Big Fund Phase II,” it is expected to become a key player in China’s integrated circuit industry. Previously, this fund primarily invested in key areas like chip manufacturing, equipment materials, design, packaging, and testing. Its investments include major Chinese chip enterprises such as Changxin Xinqiao Storage Technology, SMIC Southern Integrated Circuit Manufacturing, and Hangzhou Fuxin Semiconductor.
Mars Exploration Phase II
Of course, China’s technological horizons extend beyond the surface of the Earth. Tomorrow, China’s planetary exploration program “Tianwen-2” is scheduled to launch.
Tianwen-2 aims to complete a 10-year mission to conduct flybys, sample, and return from asteroid 2016 HO3, as well as flyby and probe main-belt comet 311P.
According to Professor Zhang Xiaotian from the School of Aerospace, Beihang University, asteroid 2016 HO3, located millions to tens of millions of kilometers from Earth in deep space, serves as an “active fossil” for studying the formation and evolution history of the solar system. Main-belt comet 311P, on the other hand, is located about 40 times the distance from Earth to the Moon and exists between Mars and Jupiter in the “main belt” rather than at the solar system’s edge. Zhang believes that exploring it will help us understand the material composition and evolution of small celestial bodies.
Visiting two such distant celestial bodies will require overcoming multiple challenges. Zhang summarized the difficulties as: navigation, sampling, return, and transfer. Navigation involves finding asteroid 2016 HO3, which is only the size of a soccer field, in the vast universe. Sampling is challenging because the weak gravity of the asteroid prevents Tianwen-2 from being pulled in by the planet’s gravity. Collecting a sample is akin to driving a car at 30 km/s on a highway, closely approaching a larger car, and taking something from its cargo. After sampling, Tianwen-2 must return to Earth, drop the sample, then fly to space again and finally reach 311P after a complex process in the next seven years. This “return and re-launch” process will be a huge test for Tianwen-2.
Zhang also explained that Tianwen-2 not only serves its own exploration goals but also plays a crucial role in technology validation and reserves for Tianwen-3, which will carry out Mars surface sampling and return. Tianwen-4 will target even more distant explorations of Jupiter and Uranus.