Humanoid robots hold promise for China but remain far off, says HKU’s robotics head

While Chinese robotics firms have been eager to develop humanoids, Hong Kong University’s Xi Ning says they have unresolved technological challenges

Reading Time:2 minutes

Humanoid robots on display at the 2024 World Robot Conference at Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Beijing on August 22. Photo: Luna Sun

Published: 7:00am, 17 Oct 2024Updated: 11:30am, 18 Oct 2024

China showed widespread enthusiasm for humanoid robots when several were put on display at an industry expo in Beijing in August, but University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) head of robotics says it will be some time before these machines are ready to take over people’s household chores.

“Many [humanoids] are still in development, and there is still some way to go before they are ready for practical use,” Xi Ning, chair professor of robotics and automation at HKU, said in an interview with the Post on October 10.

At this year’s World Robot Conference, artificial intelligence-powered humanoids stole the show. Domestic robotics companies demonstrated more than two dozen humanoids designed to play traditional Chinese instruments, write calligraphy, cook meals and stock pharmacy shelves. It was a display of how these robots could be used in practical everyday scenarios.

University of Hong Kong professor Xi Ning says there’s some way to go before the wide deployment of humanoid robots. Photo: Handout.

However, unresolved technological challenges inherited from traditional industrial robotics systems, including those related to programming and task planning, continue to present hurdles to humanoids fulfilling these roles, according to Xi.

Typical industrial robots are less complicated compared with humanoids, as they are programmed to perform routine tasks in specific situations, Xi said.

This is in contrast with humanoid robots, which users may expect to be able to carry out undefined tasks in uncertain situations.

“This is very complicated,” Xi said. “First of all, all the tasks [a robot can perform] are preprogrammed. But in an uncertain environment, it’s hard to do so because humans will not know beforehand all the tasks and every situation a humanoid will be in.”