On April 11, 2024, on the new track of the global science and technology competition, humanoid robots are becoming the focus of competition in various countries. With policy-driven and capital-driven, innovation and breakthroughs in this area are accelerating. Since 2024, the commercial application demonstration of humanoid robots is also becoming the focus of industry development, but there are still challenges in the commercialization process, which is not only a test, but also an opportunity to stimulate innovation potential.
01/Many manufacturers are competing to enter the humanoid robot track
Many domestic and foreign manufacturers have entered the humanoid robot track, and these companies have invested in the research and development and production of humanoid robots by virtue of their respective technology accumulation and innovation capabilities.
AI software vendors take the construction of embodied intelligence for the perception and interaction between the robot ontology and the surrounding environment as the starting point, and provide AI computing power, AI large models and algorithm software to drive the visual analysis, semantic understanding, task decomposition, action planning and other functions of humanoid robots.
Core component manufacturers provide various vision, position, inertial, and force control sensors, as well as motors, reducers, lead screws, encoders, drives, batteries, communications and other hardware equipment to build the perception, control, power, and motion modules required for humanoid robots.
The robot body manufacturer is responsible for the design, manufacturing and testing links, and finally organically integrates the hardware and software of various components to form a complete humanoid robot product.
02/The commercialization of humanoid robots has a long way to go
The performance improvement of humanoid robots requires continuous breakthroughs in key technologies
The commercialization of humanoid robots first requires a series of key technical challenges to be solved. This includes, but is not limited to, the efficiency of ontology integration, the accuracy of motion control, the sensitivity of the perception system, the accuracy of intelligent analysis, etc. At present, although some progress has been made in these fields, there are still many technical bottlenecks that need to be broken through to realize the autonomous navigation, interaction and task performance of humanoid robots in complex environments.
The popularity of market applications requires a continuous decline in product prices
Compared with the existing commercial service robots and industrial robots that have reached tens of thousands or even 10,000 yuan of product prices, the current price of humanoid robots is difficult to impress users to adopt their products. With the breakthrough and upgrading of robot technology, the follow-up of related industrial chains, and the expansion of application scale, the product price of humanoid robots will continue to fall, which is conducive to improving users' purchase willingness and acceptance.
Scenario versatility is the core function of humanoid robots, which requires continuous improvement of the software and hardware collaboration ecosystem
Compared with professional robots that focus on specific fields, humanoid robots are more prominent in their versatility, especially suitable for applications with changeable and complex environments, cumbersome work tasks, and high emphasis on human-machine collaboration. In order to achieve this goal, the key strategy is to adopt a design architecture that decouples software and hardware, so that the robot can dynamically load large-scale models in various vertical fields according to different business needs on a solid hardware foundation.
This means that while continuously improving the hardware performance of robots, it is also necessary to enrich and upgrade the software system and strengthen the integration and application of various professional models, which complement each other and jointly drive humanoid robots to play a greater role in various industries and truly realize the ideal state of "all-scenario application".
The implementation of commercial applications needs to be gradual
The commercialization process of humanoid robots is a steady and progressive development process, gradually expanding and widely used from specialized scenarios to mass consumer markets. Starting from the more mature commercial service field, such as hotel reception, shopping mall guidance, public services and other places, it provides a good service experience with its unique humanoid design and intelligent interactive functions. With the iterative upgrading of technology and practical testing, it has gradually penetrated into special applications such as disaster rescue and extreme environment operations. In the field of industrial manufacturing, humanoid robots will carry out automated operations in structured manufacturing links such as precision assembly and material handling. In the end, under the dual guarantee of technology and market, humanoid robots entered the household service market and assumed a variety of roles such as companionship, education, and housework to meet the diversified needs of family daily life.
Analyst Perspective
Li Junlan, research manager of IDC China, said that at present, the active participation of many manufacturers has promoted the rapid development of humanoid robot technology, from AI software to core components, to the manufacturing of robot ontology, all links of the industrial chain are constantly innovating and making breakthroughs. Looking to the future, the continuous breakthrough of technology, the reduction of product costs, the improvement of functional versatility and the gradual implementation of commercial applications are the four key factors that promote humanoid robots to mature markets.
(Liu Liqing)