China developing first mass-produced humanoid robot with AI

Fourier Intelligence unveiled its lanky, jet-black humanoid robot GR-1 at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai in July, Report informs referring to Southern China Morning Post (SCMP).

While the global technology community has been fixated on artificial intelligence (AI) software since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November, the Chinese-made GR-1 – said to be capable of walking on two legs at a speed of 5km an hour while carrying a 50kg load – reminded people of the potential of bipedal robots, which are being pursued by global companies from Tesla to Xiaomi.

GR-1 was born in a small laboratory on the first floor of the Fourier headquarters, where a group of engineers were busy refining and testing the robot when this reporter visited last month. The team reached a major breakthrough in 2022 – three years after the start of the project – when it managed to make the 1.65-meter tall robot rise up on both legs and walk.

The GR-1 robot has already been delivered in small quantities to some universities and AI companies for research and development, according to Gu. He plans to begin mass production by year-end and deliver thousands of units in 2024.

Musk last year also claimed that production could start in 2023.