China's Linkerbot unveils AI-powered hands to advance humanoid robot deployment

Linkerbot, a Beijing-based robotics startup, is at the forefront of China's efforts to accelerate the real-world deployment of humanoid robots by developing ultra-dexterous hands for embodied artificial intelligence (AI).

Founded in 2023, Linkerbot has developed a broad range of dexterous hands spanning varying degrees of flexibility, including one model that enabled a Linkerbot humanoid robot to perform precise keystrokes comparable with those of a top human pianist at the opening ceremony of the world's first-ever robotics competition, which was held in Beijing last August.

At the company's training lab, engineers teach robots to mimic all kinds of human movements from grabbing a ball and pouring a drink to treading a needle and playing the piano. The aim is to create robotic systems capable of performing tasks with increasing precision and adaptability, gradually approaching or surpassing human-like dexterity in specialized tasks.

Cao Gang, co-founder of Linkerbot, said the robot learning field, fueled by AI, has evolved in the past few years, and that his company today uses multimodal data collection and reinforcement learning to train robotic hands.

"In robot training, we first need to make plans and decide what kind of data to collect to teach it a certain task. After the data collection, the robot needs to go through algorithmic learning, before being able to make decisions on its own in performing the task. In the past, we would develop all kinds of training rules to teach the robot how to perform tasks. Now we hope to use large AI models and vast amounts of data to teach it different types of tasks," Cao said.

As China embraces embodied AI -- artificial intelligence integrated with physical agents, Linkerbot is working to develop more cutting-edge robots that can perform complex tasks in various scenarios.

"For embodied intelligence, we expect to make robotic hands capable of performing tasks in all sorts of environments, such as on factory assembly lines, or in our homes where they can help the elderly or people with disabilities," he said.

Highly intelligent and automated as the robots are, Cao believes that like all other technologies before AI, smart robots will only further empower humanity in the future, rather than completely replace human workers.

"Throughout the human history, we have invented all kinds of technologies that even we ourselves found beyond amazing. Whether it's the plane, computer, or automobile, they all have far more powerful capabilities that humans do. However, they have nowadays all become an integral part of our lives as our tools and companions," he said.

According to a government work report submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation, China will advance and expand its "AI Plus" initiative, promote faster application of new-generation intelligent terminals and AI agents, and encourage large-scale commercial application of AI in key sectors and fields.

The country will encourage technological innovations in areas including multi-modal AI, AI agent, embodied AI and swarm intelligence, and explore development paths of artificial general intelligence, according to a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) also submitted on Thursday.

China's Linkerbot unveils AI-powered hands to advance humanoid robot deployment

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival