China releases world's first electric running humanoid robot 'Tiangong'

China's first self-developed general-purpose humanoid robot "Tiangong" was unveiled at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area on Saturday.

"Tiangong" is also described as the world's first full-sized humanoid robot capable of running solely on electric drive.

Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Company, the robot can maintain a steady speed of six kilometers per hour. The robot is an independently developed humanoid robot platform poised for broader industry adoption.

The robot has an open source and compatible scalability. With such characteristics, other robot enterprises and scientific research units can directly study home services, industrial manufacturing and other industry applications according to the personalized needs of the market and users. It can further promote large-scale commercial applications.

Tiangong stands at a height of 1.63 meters and weighs 43 kilograms. It is equipped with multiple vision perception sensors. It boasts a processing power of 550 trillion operations per second, with high-precision inertial measurement units and 3D vision sensors. In addition, the robot is equipped with high-precision six-axis force sensors to provide accurate force feedback.

It has already demonstrated human-like running abilities and offers open-source compatibility for further expansion, facilitating broader commercial applications, according to a briefing by the developers.

At the launching ceremony, Tiangong demonstrated enhanced adaptability to complex environments and has achieved a stable running speed of six kilometers per hour. The humanoid robot also can smoothly navigate slopes and stairs in blind conditions, promptly adjusting its gait as needed.

As a hub for the robotics industry in Beijing, the Economic and Technological Development Area has gathered 110 robotics ecosystem enterprises, forming a whole industrial chain system covering core components, complete machines, and applications.

The release of Tiangong coincides with the reveal of several AI technological breakthroughs at the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum), said Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, founding executive director of Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

"I am quite optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese AI industrial sector. One of the things that China has excelled at is developing AI in a way that integrates into everyday life, providing meaningful and useful tools to people," he said.

Other AI robot products were also unveiled at this year's ZGC Forum, a state-level event for global exchanges and cooperation showcasing China's rapid development in cutting-edge innovation and technologies.

(Cover: China's first self-developed general-purpose humanoid robot "Tiangong" meets the public at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, China, April 27, 2024. /CFP)