At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), a young entrepreneur captured significant attention. He is Hu Yuhang, born in 1997, who, despite his young age, has already achieved remarkable accomplishments in the field of artificial intelligence.
Hu Yuhang was awarded the Young Outstanding Paper Award at the conference for his research on “Human-Robot Facial Collaborative Expression.” This research not only showcases his profound expertise in multimodal artificial intelligence and autonomous learning in robotics but also reflects his unique insights into the future of human-computer interaction. As the founder, CEO, and CTO of Shouxing Technology, he has just graduated with a PhD from Columbia University, and his research findings have been published in prestigious international journals such as Nature Machine Intelligence and Science Robotics.
Hu Yuhang chose to return to China to start his business, attracted by the country’s inherent advantages in manufacturing and the ongoing national investment in AI and humanoid robots. He believes that such an environment allows young people to turn the “impossible” into the “possible.” He is also impressed by Shanghai’s high regard for AI, as the vibrant ecosystem of artificial intelligence and robotics here provides fertile ground for technology-driven companies like his.
At the WAIC booth, Hu Yuhang showcased his facial recognition robots, which have not only gained popularity online but have also participated in film productions and even appeared in top academic journals. He revealed that since Shouxing Technology was established in Shanghai in June 2024, it has developed rapidly, securing angel investments from several well-known investment institutions by October of the same year. In June of this year, the company announced the completion of its Pre-A round of financing, attracting more capital attention.
Hu Yuhang’s entrepreneurial journey has not been smooth sailing, but he remains steadfast in his direction. He believes that robots are not just hardware; they can only truly possess vitality when they integrate the soul of AI. Therefore, he chose to start with facial recognition robots to explore a new paradigm for humanoid robots. In this process, he is not only a researcher but also a sharer, interacting with the public through social media platforms to let more people understand and participate in the development of AI robots.
On social media, Hu Yuhang, known as “U Hang,” has over a million followers, and his series of robot videos have amassed approximately 150 million views. These fans not only provide him with tremendous support but have also become his “electronic shareholders,” actively contributing ideas and strategies. Hu Yuhang stated that this companionship and resonance make the entrepreneurial process warmer and instill in him a greater sense of responsibility.
At the WAIC, Hu Yuhang felt the rapid maturation of technology. He noted that last year, there were very few humanoid robots capable of stably demonstrating demos, while this year, an increasing number of humanoid robots can walk and interact stably. The presence of international AI masters like Geoffrey Hinton at the event also proves that China’s influence in this field is continuously rising.
Looking to the future, Hu Yuhang is filled with confidence. He stated that we are currently in a phase of rapid explosion that has yet to be standardized, and in the short term, various “vertical scenario” applications will continue to emerge. However, more importantly, we need to think about how to design a transferable and shareable data standard and learning system to lay the foundation for building general-purpose robots that possess generalization capabilities, reasoning, and interaction abilities.
Source: The Paper