Humanoid robots are lousy colleagues. China wants to change it

For the past few weeks, Chinese engineers have gathered in the factory of a luxury electric-vehicle brand to test a new technology the country's leadership considers vital to its rivalry with THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

- Raffaele Huang & Josh Chin

The engineers at a startup called UBTech are training human-like robots to sort auto parts and move containers. The task looks mundane, but the technology behind it isn't. Powered by artificial intelligence, these humanoids work with other robots and figure out on their own how to get the job done, according to the company—and, in the process, learn how to do it better.

The U.S. and China are the only two countries at the cutting edge of intelligent humanoid robots, according to specialists. Whoever can make a truly useful humanoid will come to dominate an untold number of labor-intensive industries.

"The time has come for robots," said Jensen Huang, chief executive of the AI chip company Nvidia, at a conference in March. "Everyone, pay attention. This could very well be the largest industry of all."

The humanoid robot, much like the hoverboard, is a long-tenured item on the list of science-fiction promises left unfulfilled. For years, the technology's standard-bearer was Honda's Asimo, a marshmallow-like droid best known for failing to navigate stairs without falling down. Development of it halted in 2018.

On the more practical side, robotic arms have hovered over assembly lines for decades. They are programmed to do concrete tasks with precision but can't think on their feet.

Makers of the new humanoids aim to achieve an evolutionary leap by combining robotic engineering with superpowered computer chips and AI algorithms similar to those that make apps such as ChatGPT possible. It is sometimes called "embodied," or "physical," AI.

For now, the humanoids remain clumsy and potentially dangerous as side-by-side colleagues for humans. Eventually, according to proponents, they will revolutionize everything from manufacturing to mining, caring for the elderly and fighting wars. With functioning eyes, ears, hands and legs, they will blend seamlessly into environments designed for people.