- Title: Humanoid robots highlight World Robot Exhibition in Beijing
- Date: 24th November 2015
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (NOVEMBER 24, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ROBOT DRAGON STANDING UP AFTER MAN'S ORDER VARIOUS OF ROBOT MOVING BOXES VARIOUS OF ROBOT SIMULATING WORKING ACTIVITY MAN LOOKING ON VISITORS LOOKING AT ROBOT/ROBOT MOVING AND TALKING BOY LOOKING ON VISITORS LOOKING AT ROBOT ROBOT TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) PRODUCT MANAGER OF TAMI INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD., LIU BOYI, SAYING: "It (the robot) has plenty of facial expressions, and the screen installed in its eyes can give people a good feeling of interaction. And (it can) follow the human body, which means it can imitate (your gestures when) when you are in front of it. Most importantly, it can recognize if you are a man or a woman, and tell your age and whether you are happy, and the degree of your happiness. It knows all of that." VARIOUS OF ROBOT WALKING IN CIRCLE WITH TRAY IN HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 30-YEAR-OLD MIAO JUN, SAYING: "Robots can never fully replace human labour. For example, from the old days, when each worker had a sewing machine in textile mills, to nowadays one worker has ten sewing machines, only people can control these (machines). Artificial intelligence has its limitation, and cannot take the place of human beings, but to reduce people's repetitive labour." VISITORS LOOKING AT ROBOT GENMINOID F GENMINOID F LOOKING AROUND GENMINOID F BLINKING HANDS OF GENMINOID F (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF HIROSHI ISHIGURO LABORATORY KOHEI OGAWA, WHO IS TEACHING IN OSAKA UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "Of course, our final goal is creating some AI system out of showing intelligence by using this robot. But still it's difficult, for example, voice recognition system doesn't work, especially in this kind of noisy environment. So that's why practically this robot is useful for tele-operated medium. But in the future, of course we are gonna create some perfect AI system by using this robot. To know the humans, to create the humans, the both." MEN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS WITH MOBILE PHONES GENMINOID F SINGING SONG (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) INVESTOR IN HIGH-TECH SECTOR, GAO RUNLONG, SAYING: "Robotics will be more popular gradually, then robots can largely take place of human labour in families and business. So in the future world, there will be great changes in terms of intelligent manufacturing and robots. Let's wait and see."
- Embargoed: 9th December 2015 14:31
- Keywords: Beijing robot World Robot Conference.
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0013ARV5G9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Humanoid robots that can gauge your mood were among the highlights of the World Robot Exhibition in Beijing on Tuesday (November 24).
The exhibition is a part of the three-day World Robot Conference, which also includes a forum and a robot contest for elementary school and junior high school teams. It is the first time for China to host such an event.
Over 100 experts, 12 international organizations and more than 120 companies in the field gathered at the conference.
The robots displayed are divided into industrial, service and specialized categories.
Humanoid robot Xiaoluo, made by domestic company Tami Intelligence, is famous for interacting with people and has hosted galas on television.
"It (the robot) has plenty of facial expressions, and the screen installed in its eyes can give people a good feeling of interaction. And (it can) follow the human body, which means it can imitate (your gestures when) when you are in front of it. Most importantly, it can recognize if you are a man or a woman, and tell your age and whether you are happy, and the degree of your happiness. It knows all of them," said product manager Liu Boyi.
Even though many robotics companies are seeking ways to reduce human labour, conference visitor Miao Jun, 30, doubted that would ever happen.
"Robots can never fully replace human labour. For example, from the old days, when each worker had a sewing machine in textile mills, to nowadays one worker has ten sewing machines, only people can control these (machines). Artificial intelligence has its limitation, and cannot take the place of human beings, but to reduce people's repetitive labour."
Android Genminoid F, the life-like female created by Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory at Osaka University stole the spotlight of the exhibition, with visitors crowding around to take photographs and talk to her.
Geminoid F's creators say despite the robot's physical features and capabilities, it's still a work in progress.
"Of course, our final goal is creating some AI system out of showing intelligence by using this robot. But still it's difficult, for example, voice recognition system doesn't work, especially in this kind of noisy environment. So that's why practically this robot is useful for tele-operated medium. But in the future, of course we are gonna create some perfect AI system by using this robot. To know the humans, to create the humans, the both," said Assistant Professor Kohei Ogawa, a member of Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory.
The exhibition also show trends for future technology development, making it a good place for investors to go for business opportunities. Gao Runlong, 37, an investor in the sector of technology, holds a high expectation of Chinese robots and the industry.
"Robotics will be more popular gradually, then robots can largely take place of human labour in families and business. So in the future world, there will be great changes in terms of intelligent manufacturing and robots. Let's wait and see," said Gao.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang both sent congratulatory letters to the opening of the Conference on Monday (November 23), showing the country has attached great importance to the robotics industry.
In its five-year economic plan for 2011-2015, Beijing specifically targeted robotics as a key sector for development, hoping to create four or five domestic robotics "champion" firms to meet an annual production target of about 13,000 robots. And in the country's "13th Five Year Plan", which will cover the 2016-2020 period, innovation is again lifted to a crucial level.
The policy support and market demand made China the world's biggest buyer of robots in 2013, overtaking Japan. At the same time, both central and local governments are encouraging new domestic players to capture market share from established foreign brands.
Concerns of over-stimulating the market have been raised. By the end of 2014, 420 robot companies and more than 30 industrial parks devoted to robotics were being built or were already functioning around the country, state run Xinhua news agency reported. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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