China’s Walker S1 robots prepare to take over manual jobs
Chinese robotics firm UBTech began training its Walker S1 robots in factories.
Notably, it’s part of the assembly line of BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.
UBTech is working with other unmanned logistic vehicles and intelligence manufacturing management systems to automate large-scale operations.
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South China Morning Post says UBTech is the first in the world to launch such mass-scale operations.
Soon, these machines may take over manual labor in other countries.
Article continues after this advertisementWhat are the Walker S1’s features?
New demo of Chinese company UBTECH shows Walker S1 carrying a 36 lb (16.3kg) tote while walking on a treadmill.
— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) October 15, 2024
"The integrated perception & control, along with the end-to-end learning-based whole-body control, enable the bot to achieve dexterous manipulation & stable walking." pic.twitter.com/p6bvdGR3Mw
UBTech’s official page says the Walker S1 can understand the intention behind tasks and plan them accordingly.
Its advanced planning model technology enables the humanoid bot to handle such complexity, allowing it to fit into various industries.
The Chinese company’s demo videos show the robot walking on two legs and performing the following tasks:
- Assembling parts
- Tightening bolts
- Sorting materials
- Carrying and moving parcels
- Performing quality inspections i.e. checking seatbelts
South China Morning Post says robotic arms handle 70% of the workload in automated factories while humans handle the remaining 30%.
UBTech aims to take over 20% of the latter so that people only perform 10% of overall operations.
“The idea is to replace around 20% of the workload with humanoid robots,” reiterated Tan Min, UBTech’s chief brand officer.
Moreover, it has received over 500 orders from automakers for the Walker S1.
SCMP says these robots can address China’s shortage of technical workers.
The country had a record-breaking number of university graduates, so fewer people are interested in blue-collar work.
Meanwhile, the China Center for Information Industry Development found EV demand grew by 32% year-on-year in 2023.
Soon, humanoid robots may take over manual jobs worldwide as more countries are developing them.
For example, US-based Tesla unveiled its Optimus bots during its recent “We, Robot” event.
