Unitree founder predicts humanoid robots will be common within ten years

The Chinese company Unitree Robotics recently successfully listed on the local exchange. Its founder Wang Xingxing said in a speech at the World Robot Conference opening in Beijing that it will take about ten years for humanoid robots to achieve large-scale popularization. He said that robotics is about to have its “ChatGPT moment.”

Image source: Unitree Robotics

The 36-year-old founder of Unitree Robotics said that the criterion for whether humanoid robots are ready for large-scale use in the consumer market is that they can carry out at least 80% of voice or text commands when working in unfamiliar environments. Today, robots perform well in controlled environments, but if they deviate even slightly from initial conditions, they become disoriented and unable to complete their tasks. Therefore, from the perspective of universal use, such robots are still inferior to humans. Once the above criteria are met, the demand in the humanoid robot market will grow exponentially.

If Unitree’s current popularity is mainly due to the physical abilities of the robots it creates, now it must focus on improving their “brains.” About half of the IPO proceeds will be used to develop “human-like brains” for robots. Wang Xingxing believes that the application of artificial intelligence models in the field of robotics has not been as successful as in other fields, and this needs to be corrected. “We are moving towards a ChatGPT moment in physical intelligence,” ——The founder of Unitree said. The company expects a breakthrough in robotics software development within the next two to three years, but generally no more than a decade.

While 18,000 humanoid robots were sold globally last year, their number is likely to increase to 60,000 this year and to 1.75 million by the end of the decade, according to JPMorgan. Additionally, more than half of sales robots will be used in China. In the first half of this year, China produced more than 40,000 humanoid robots, and Chinese companies accounted for 97% of the global market. At the end of last year, Unitree successfully became the largest supplier of quadruped robots. In the field of humanoid robots, it shipped more than 5,500 units, ranking second in the world. Wang He, founder of the new startup Galbot, also believes that in the field of improving the skills of humanoid robots, the “ChatGPT moment” will arrive in 2028, when they will be able to perform 70% to 80% of daily tasks without special training.