A brand-new quick-thinking interactive humanoid robot has caught wide attention after being unveiled in Shanghai on Tuesday for its wide range of performance capabilities, with the robot capable of riding a bicycle and even carrying out delicate tasks such as using a needle and thread.
The newly-launched robot is the latest in a series of eye-catching breakthroughs for China's robotics industry as the sector continues its rapid development.
The 1.3-meter-tall robot has also unlocked a range of new athletic skills, including riding a scooter and operating a self-balancing scooter with ease.
Featuring 28 different degrees of freedom (DOF), the robot is also equipped with a multimodal interaction model, enabling millisecond-level interactive responses.
It can also accurately judge and respond to human facial expressions and vocal tones. When asked, the robot says its purpose is to chat with its human counterparts, solve problems, and simply "make life more fun."
Peng Zhihui, co-founder of the company responsible for the new robot, stressed there is still a way to go to convincingly replicate the emotional level of a human.
"I believe the biggest challenge is enabling the robot to possess a level of intelligence as agile as that of a human. To achieve this, we need to make technological breakthroughs in three areas - motion intelligence, interactive intelligence, and operational intelligence," said Peng.
Additionally, the new robot has initially developed 'zero-shot' generalization capabilities for manipulating objects based on a large embodied model, which means it can learn to solve problems and respond to new challenges or tasks based on its own intuition.
For example, it can learn to pour water simply by watching videos of humans doing so, demonstrating the ability to extrapolate from learned tasks.
In addition, the robot can also recognize different types of cups without requiring repeated training for different shapes or sizes, marking a significant step toward the generalization and openness of embodied intelligence.
Many experts believe the robot has the potential to be utilized in various application scenarios in the future, including in the health care and service sectors, or may even be deployed to provide companionship in people's homes.
New interactive robot capable of riding bike set to serve in multiple scenarios
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that mediation efforts of the Pakistani side regarding the Middle East tensions are in the common interests of all parties.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in his talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.
During their talks, the two sides exchanged views on current international issues and regional conflicts.
Wang welcomed the visit of the Pakistani side to Beijing for discussion on easing tensions in the Middle East, just after its holding of a quadrilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Islamabad.
He said China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in easing the situation and resuming peace talks. This process is no easy task, and Pakistan's mediation efforts are in line with the common interests of all parties, Wang added.
He noted China is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to end the hostilities as soon as possible, create opportunities for peace and open the window for peace talks.
On bilateral ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, calling on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and constantly advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
For his part, Dar said the Pakistan-China friendship is precious and deeply rooted in people's hearts, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Dar thanked China for supporting Pakistan's mediation of the situation in Iran, adding that the current conflict has disrupted international energy supplies and caused heavy damage to developing countries.
Noting that solutions can only be found through negotiation, Dar said Pakistan is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to push all parties to start peace talks as soon as possible and restore regional peace.
The two sides also put forward a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East region:
I. Immediate cessation of hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.
II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law, and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the United Nations, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
