Recently, a "special" school opened in Shanghai. This school has no students; all the students are robots, who come here to learn how to enhance and improve their abilities. These robots are trained by real teachers. This large training center allows these machines to acquire data, thereby interacting with their surroundings.

"It is not a school as you imagine it, with classrooms and teachers. It is a large building covering 4,600 square meters," said Yudeline Boyersult, a reporter from RTBF at the scene. "It is divided into several areas: the factory area, the computer area, and the bedroom area. About a hundred human-like robots learn to perform tasks every day. For example, in the bedroom, they learn to fold pants or tidy up the table. In the factory area, they do welding work."

In the kitchen, these robots learn to cook and wash dishes; in the living room, they learn to clean and organize the room.

The robots do not learn on their own. Each machine is assigned a teacher, a flesh-and-blood mentor. The teacher is a man equipped with a virtual reality headset and controller. He uses this equipment to remotely make a gesture for the robot to execute.

Reporter Boyersult added, "For instance, when a human grasps an object, the robot can repeat this action."

"All these actions must be repeated without fatigue 200 times before the robot can truly master the skill. The goal of this training is to enable robots to interact completely independently with the environment, without the assistance of humans."

Robot School: A Technological Competition: China wants to enhance its strength and address population issues. Therefore, robot development has become a focus of its policy. For years, the United States and Japan have been pioneers in the field of robotics. Now, Beijing is making a greater effort to consolidate its position.

Reporter Boyersult confirmed and added to this view: "China hopes to achieve industrial modernization while reducing its dependence on foreign technology, especially American technology. Therefore, the Chinese government has invested billions of euros to promote China becoming a leader in this market."

Currently, humanoid robot technology is still in the development stage. Most robots displayed at conferences, large exhibitions, and events cannot be put into use because their power is insufficient. The main problem lies in the battery. Battery life ranges from one hour to several hours. Experts estimate that we will have to wait five to ten years before seeing the first humanoid robots replace some humans in factories.

This reporter added: "It may seem like a long way to go. But some governments and investors have already realized the vast potential of this market. Therefore, we are witnessing a true global competition in the development of humanoid robots. As for China, it has chosen an industry strategy different from its American and Japanese competitors. It is mass-producing low-cost, affordable robots, and most importantly, robots with diverse functions."

Robots Help Elderly People in China: Additionally, China's population is facing demographic challenges. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, by 2035, people over 60 will account for nearly one-third of the total population.

Yudeline Boyersult believes that China is not yet prepared to deal with the aging population: "Currently, people over 65 account for 15% of China's total population. There are few nursing homes, and the traditional practice of taking care of parents at home is gradually disappearing. Chinese youth are more willing to take care of their own lives rather than their elders."

Therefore, China is considering using robots as a potential solution to assist tens of millions of elderly people.

The industry has already recognized this. Investments in what is called the elderly economy are numerous. For example, Unix AI company launched a wheeled robot in 2024 that can perform simple tasks such as cleaning the floor, throwing away trash, and putting dishes in the dishwasher. This machine is designed for the elderly, otherwise they would find it difficult to complete these tasks. Eventually, this might sound a bit scary, but this robot can learn to measure blood pressure and even prepare medicine for the elderly.

Massive Budget

These investments are said to reach millions of euros. However, both the Chinese government and private enterprises hope to keep the robot industry secret.

This RTBF journalist explained: "While the mentor teaches the robot gestures, there are also operators behind the scenes collecting data and analyzing it to understand and correct the robot's behavior. For example, Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus can perform the simple action of placing a battery into a box, which requires at least 40 people to collect the necessary data and takes hundreds of hours."

Currently, these robots have not received the best or perfect training. They do not know how to respond to unfamiliar scenarios or objects, nor do they know how to link multiple actions together. Yudeline Boyersult added: "This school plans to collect about 10 million data points by the end of 2020. Finally, the authorities hope that the data collected by the training center can be used by private companies. This can also reduce the costs of the school and robot training, and allow all collected data to be disseminated."

In 2024, the market size for humanoid robots in China reached 350 million euros, and it is expected to reach 2.1 billion euros by 2025, and even 11.35 billion euros by 2030.

Source: rfi

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558254814845567539/

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