I asked the first booth what its robot could do. The man thought about it and said: a companion in your home. I heard some version of that answer most of the afternoon.
I had come to a hall with around ten robotics companies in it, carrying one question. Do humanoids have a use case today, or is this still kung fu, dancing and marketing?
I take customers into Chinese robotics companies every week, so I want this to work. That is exactly why I wanted the answer from the people who build the machines, standing next to their own machine.
The robots that already earn money were the quiet ones
My tea came from a coffee robot. The company behind it runs about 100 installations across 20 Chinese cities. The arm decides its own moves, there is no operator hiding behind a laptop, and it is slow. Make it faster and I would put one in every convenience store I walk past.
A few steps further, Pudu Robotics had its cleaning machines out. We sell those in Germany and they do real work in supermarkets and warehouses. That technology is years ahead of anything with two legs.
Same story with the robot dogs. Unitree moves a lot of them and they end up with fire crews and on patrol routes through factories. Today I am more optimistic about a four legged machine than a two legged one.
What the humanoid builders said when I pushed
One team pointed at logistics and at guiding people around a building, then put a number on it. Maybe five years before a factory or a business has a proper use case.
An investor in the hall disagreed with that. He told me humanoids are already working in factories, just not the ones the public gets to see. He rates the Chinese teams highest on hardware and on hardware combined with the algorithms, and gives the American teams the edge on modelling and software. The only company he would name was Unitree. Everything else he could not comment on, he said, because he is invested.
I asked whether he would put all his money into robotics. Part of it, he said.
At EngineAI the answer to what it can do was a fight. They are opening a combat format around their T800 and building a television style competition on top of it. Their other answer was patrol and security work inside factories.
The five to ten year answer
The smoothest machine I saw all day belonged to a Shenzhen company founded in December 2022. Beautiful movement. There was also a man in a VR headset behind it, doing every single motion.
I said so out loud, and instead of selling me, they agreed. Chores are five to ten years away, because the data for them does not exist yet.
We have pictures, video and text. What we do not have is the data for physical work. That is why every company like ours is now trying to collect real data from real homes.
Their plan is honest and small. The first version talks to you and exercises with you. Later they swap the arms for hands, so it can pick a drink off the table or take the rubbish off the floor. The kind of thing kids used to be asked to do.
The robot horse tells you where we are
Somewhere between the humanoids stood a robot horse. I asked what it was for. Entertainment and luck, they said, because this is the year of the horse. No pretence at all, and I liked them for it.
That is roughly the state of a humanoid expo floor right now. A few factory pilots, a lot of companion talk, and machines that need a person in a headset to look impressive.
The expensive misunderstanding is the one I keep meeting in Germany. Robotics gets judged by humanoids, humanoids cannot do much yet, so the whole subject gets parked for another year. The cleaning machines that already pay for themselves never enter that conversation, and most people I speak to at home have no idea they exist.
What an expo cannot prove
Everything I saw was somebody's best day, mine included. Nobody showed me a humanoid running a shift in a customer's building with no engineer standing nearby, and that is still the number that decides this whole field.
So my position after ten conversations: buy the service machines that work today, and spend this year getting to know the companies building the ones that do not. In five years that is the difference between reading about Chinese robotics and having a partner inside it.
[00:00] Everyone is talking about Chinese humanoid robotics these days. So, I flew here to answer one question. Do they actually have a use case? Will they change the way we live and work, or is it all just kung fu, dancing, and marketing? Here in this room are around 10 different robotics companies, and we go now and will ask them this exact question. So, what can he do? >> Um he he he's just like a a companion in your in your home. >> Robot combats. >> Uh oh, okay. >> you are YOU ARE FIGHTING. >> WHAT IS THE USE CASE OF THIS HORSE? >> This year in China is the horse year, so this one is the a symbol of our Chinese
[00:47] New Year. >> [music] >> Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of robotics, and I'm sure that robotics will change the way we live and work in across all the industries. I am going to robotics companies every week. I bring customers there. They're all doing exploration tools right now, and I have a lot of contacts to Chinese companies, so that's why I bring them. But, for humanoids, it is a very tricky question, and also in this state. So, I'm here at this expo where there are a lot of robotics companies. So, I want to ask them for an honest opinion. Is there a use case right now? And if not, will there be one in the future?
[01:33] >> We have a lot of E&E DN in China, which are convenience stores. And I think maybe the use case for convenience stores is really good. But, one thing right now, they're still very slow. Okay, let's see how it works. >> So, is it is it already working in supermarkets? >> We have uh deployed in in about 20 cities, and 100 installations. >> In China or all over the world? >> in China. They can make decision by itself. >> Oh, really? >> Uh low turning over operation, low remote. >> He said it's not remote control, it's not CGI. It can make decisions by itself, and actually I ordered this one and they gave it to me for free. So, I think this definitely, if you make it faster and smoother, it will definitely change our lives very very soon. And
[02:23] they said they deployed already in 20 different cities in China. Okay, let's go. I drink my tea. This is a coffee robot. Let's go to Matrix. Matrix is also a Chinese company. I visited their headquarters last week. Our customers were really impressed, but let's see if this has a use case. If you want to see Chinese robotics companies, if you want to come to China, you also can drop me a comment or write me an email. We have connections to all of them. What purpose does it have other than playing games? >> The logistics and also for the business service, interact with people, guide or something. Yeah. >> Okay. So, we think in in 5 years, maybe there
[03:21] will be a use case for businesses or factories. It looks cool though. I like the the overall appearance. It looks very very sporty. >> Actually, the robot has already been applied in the factories. >> This one? >> Not this one, but the other brands that have got even bigger progress. >> So, you think humanoids will change the way we work or live? They have a use case? >> Yeah, of course. And it's happening right now. And with the advanced technology and developed by either the American teams or Chinese teams or some European teams as well. Yeah, I think there will be big steps being made. >> Because a lot of people say that humanoids can also can can just do kung fu and dancing.
[04:09] >> No, not exactly. That's just how people try to uh it's just the first step. You want to understand it even uh easier. >> Yeah. >> So, the real situations and the scenarios the robots have AI robots has been applied is not uh easily seen by the common citizens. >> What are the top three Chinese humanoids companies? >> I think uh the the biggest at the top three so which are like Unitree is definitely the one of the best. And there are several ones I don't want to comment on whether that's cuz I am an investor. >> So, you're invested in them. Give us some information on >> Yeah, I can Yeah, the information will be I think
[04:58] Chinese robots are the best in the world. And of course, the American teams they develop very good product, but especially on the modeling and uh the humanoids uh softwares and uh uh algorithm. >> Yeah. >> But regarding the hardwares and uh combined with the softwares uh the algorithm, the Chinese teams robotic teams are the best. >> So, you as an investor, would you bet all your money on robotics? >> I think uh partial of the money cuz uh apart from the robotics, there's a lot of areas uh embedded with uh AI will definitely develop very fast and get modernization, commercialization
[05:48] as well. >> So, do you have a robot at home? >> Uh not yet, but I want to get a small one. I've been my friend and uh talk me out of the sadness. >> So, you also have no human friends like me. >> I guess not a lot. >> Do you need a hug? >> Yeah, I need a >> Okay, next one is Engine AI. So, we will have a uh oh oh oh already we saw something. What what can I do? >> Um maybe like do something interaction, but don't just like destroy it. Like >> Don't destroy it? >> No, no, or maybe like >> Can it destroy me, maybe? >> Give give uh give it a fight. Like give >> A fight? >> Like high five like that. >> High five, okay. High five. So, what can it do besides this? >> Um >> Any other young tool? >> Young tool. Uh like maybe industrial usage. Like in the factory it can do
[06:36] some patrol or like security purpose. >> And what what is the difference between these two? >> Robot combats. >> Huh? Oh, okay. >> you are fighting. Yeah, you are fighting. Yeah, we are we are developing a competition like a TV series. You can stay tuned on our competition. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we will do that. Engine AI. >> Yeah. >> T800. >> Yeah, T800. >> Looking forward to see the fight. Quite scary use case. They said like they are fighting right now. So, we know what that means. Maybe they will use it in um wars one day. You never know. I hope that uh they will use it for the good cases. Make our lives easier. Hello. >> Hello. >> So, what can it do? >> Um it's just like a a companion in your
[07:23] your home. Like your new pal. >> Okay. >> And he can do everything for you. Like not not like he can do your chores, but uh um he can actually do exercise with you together. >> So, what's his name? >> Uh his name is Amo. Amo. >> Amo? >> Yeah, Amo. >> Is also What's company's name? >> Uh Sai. >> Sain, okay. Okay. Go back home. Don't think I heard about this company before. Founded in Shenzhen in December 2022. Okay, let's see. So, I think uh the movements are quite smooth of this one. Um but it's also playing games. It's It's just playing games. So, I don't need a robot for playing games. I think uh it's quite The movements are quite smooth, but they're connected to his VR device. So, he's doing the movements. Um
[08:10] I don't see the use case right now besides training, right? Because there's still a person who has to do everything, but maybe I'm just too stupid and don't understand robotics. This also could be the case. But um if a human is doing the work, you would like doing this with a controllers, I don't know what the use of this robot is, right? >> So, he can actually do uh more like do our do our chores in our home. >> So, when do you think can this robot do the chores? >> Uh we we actually feel it it needs about at least 5 to 10 years. >> 5 to 10 years? >> Yes, because we really the whole industry is lack of the the data. >> Data, yeah. >> Yeah, currently all the data we have is uh like picture, video, and uh like the wordings, but we don't really have the um um the data for all the physic works.
[08:57] >> Okay. >> So, we really lack of those data. So, that's why we can see uh the whole world, all these type of company, they are trying to collect the real data from the real home. >> Okay. >> And we feel like actually the size like this is the first robot that people can accept to go to their home. Yeah, like for ourselves, if you want to buy, we will we buy that or this one? Because that one it cannot really do our chores. For that one, we are planning for the first type we release, it's like this one. More like uh do exercise with you and talk with you. But then, we will change the the arm and with some some hands there. So, he he can do some small chores in your home. Like you can say, "Pick up my drinks." Or something like uh pick up this
[09:44] rubbish in the in the ground. >> What nowadays normally kids do? >> Yeah. >> [laughter] >> I'm really looking forward. Thank you. Thank you so much. This is definitely a big field. Adult toys. I can tell show you a video here where I have seen like this in big in human size. They look so realistic, but they're a robot. So, I think the adult toy industry will be a big big business in the future. Some super interesting thing I have never ever seen before. First time here today. What is the use case of this horse? We don't know. Does it look cute? Yes, it does. So, what is the use case of this horse? >> This year in China is the horse year. So, this one is the a symbol of our Chinese New Year.
[10:30] >> Okay. So, it doesn't have any use case, right? >> For entertainment and the lucky. >> Oh, okay. Okay. So, what I think right now is the most advanced and there's there's the use case of these dogs are these robot dogs. So, Unitree also sells a lot of them. And uh they're used for firefighters. They use them. Then they use them for patrolling. If you have like factories or anything, that's where they use them. And they already sell a
[11:17] lot. So, I am more optimistic about these robot dogs than humanoids. Right now. Right now. But this will change very soon. Here I have the Unitree G1 here. Hello. >> And support for employee data inheritance upon off-boarding to prevent loss of corporate digital assets. On security, the enterprise edition >> I think he's just here for doing some advertisement. Yeah, most of them like also Unitree, my contact at Unitree, they also say now it's mostly entertainment and you can they can do like some Oh, there's one hanging over there also. Um just helping you, guiding you, guiding you around something like this, but not no real use case right now. Uh this is actually one of my most favorite companies, called Pudu Robotics. They
[12:03] already have a lot of cleaning robots. So, these cleaning robots we also sell them in Germany, they're very very famous there um because they are really useful. So, for factories, for supermarkets, for retailers, they use these Pudu Robotics and the technology is already very advanced, much more advanced than humanoids. So, a lot of people they make the mistake where they think of robotic, they just think of humanoids and they say, "Oh, there's no use case." But, there's a lot of use cases for robotics and automation. And even like I'm so surprised that in Germany I talked to the people, they don't have the idea that there's like uh automatic cleaning robots, they don't know about. So, this is something a product I really really like. Most of them say companion, companion. There's some who say there are already some use
[12:51] cases in factories or in in different different environments, but right now it's really really early stage. Which is not a bad thing because if you are now in the robotics field and start to understand it now, in 5 years you will have a big advantage. So, that that's why I take so many CEOs, come to China, visit the robotics companies because you have to understand it now. Come here, have a look yourself, and learn. You have to learn, you have to understand. Find Chinese partners, find people to work with, and then you can avoid the next the second China shock. The first one was with the EVs, but now China's leading in robotics and
[13:38] it will be even more in the future. So, come here and understand yourself. See you next time, ladies and gentlemen.
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