Xiaomi Debuts CyberOne, a Working Humanoid Robot Prototype
Xiaomi seemingly showcased everything but the kitchen sink at its recent launch event in Beijing, the highlight of which is perhaps the debut of CyberOne, a fully-working humanoid robot prototype.
Nicknamed "Metal Bro", the CyberOne is the second innovation to come out of the Xiaomi Robotics Lab, joining the CyberDog that debuted last year. The bipedal machine, which stands about 5'8 feet and weighs 115 pounds, is capable of walking on its own, joining Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun on stage during the event. It even gave the Chinese tech executive a flower and obliged him to a selfie before walking off the stage without a single hitch.
"With AI at its core and a full-size humanoid frame as its vessel, this is an exploration of possibilities of Xiaomi's future technological ecosystem and a new breakthrough for the company," said Mr Lei Jun.
Xiaomi says the CyberOne supports up to 21 degrees of freedom in motion across 13 joints, with each degree having a response speed of 0.5ms, allowing it to perform complex movements, such as walking with both legs, for example. Its upper limbs come equipped with motors that have a rated output torque of up to 30Nm for added flexibility. Meanwhile, the hip joint motor has an instantaneous peak torque of up to 300Nm. The robot is also capable of carrying up to 1.5kg of weight in a single hand.
What's more, the CyberOne combines the proprietary Mi-Sense depth vision module with a new artificial intelligence interaction algorithm to perceive 3D space and human movement. It even includes microphones that identify a wide range of environmental sounds and human emotions. For instance, it's able to know when users are feeling sad and comfort them, touts Xiaomi. The robot's face is also a curved OLED screen that can display real-time information.
While the CyberOne demo appeared to have been a success, mass production of the robot could still be a ways off, if ever at all. A single unit can reportedly cost up to 700,000 yuan, making it quite an impractical pursuit.
Still, the development of advanced robotics remains the ultimate goal for Xiaomi, the same as many of its competitors. Mr Lei Jun even said intelligent robots will one day be a part of people’s lives. But right now, this innovation only serves as a symbol for the company’s dedication to improving its ecosystem centred on the interconnectedness of devices and advancing future technologies.
If it’s any consolation, at least Xiaomi can boast that it managed to beat Tesla in coming out with a working humanoid robot. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in April his company is already developing a robot, which is expected to be unveiled in 2023, though, so far, nothing has been shown yet except concepts.
During the same event, Xiaomi also unveiled the Mix Fold 2, the company’s second foldable device, and its pilot technology plans for its electric vehicle ambitions. Contrary to previous rumours, Xiaomi’s in-development car did not make a showing, which recently faced a regulatory snag.
Xiaomi at its recent launch event in Beijing debuted the CyberOne, a fully-working humanoid robot prototype.
The CyberOne is the second innovation to come out of the Xiaomi Robotics Lab, joining the CyberDog that debuted last year.
The robot is capable of walking on its own, recreating 3D environments and detecting human emotion.
While it's only a demo for now, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun believes that robots will one day be part of people's everyday lives.