From Yushu Robots’ “Evolution Code”
to Understand the Growth’s “Progress Logic”
Teacher’s Heartfelt Words |
On the stage of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, the Yushu robot “Fu Xi” danced the yangge in a floral outfit, with the arc of its handkerchief throw exuding charm; in November of the same year, at the Wuzhen Internet Conference, the same “family” G1 robot transformed into a combat expert, getting back up to fight again just four seconds after being knocked down. From a “yangge dancer” to a “battle god,” this robot is more adventurous than many students.
Some students ask: Teacher, how can we avoid the “pits” in our growth? The answer is hidden in the evolution history of Yushu — each upgrade conceals the “progress logic” that college students should possess. Let us follow the trajectory of this progress logic to uncover the core actions that are crucial for young students on their growth journey.
01
“Slow Work” is the True Strength
Don’t be a “hollow person” with a “shiny surface”
Some students always envy “Fu Xi” for its glory at the Spring Festival Gala, not knowing that its 1.8-meter “body” hides 22 precision motors, each joint’s torque control has undergone thousands of adjustments. Yushu’s engineers said that when they first made the prototype, the robot’s hand movements were as shaky as a sieve, and it was only after mastering direct drive technology that it truly found its footing.
This reminds me of a classmate’s thesis revision last week; their paper was filled with words, but when asked about the derivation process of the formulas, they stammered and couldn’t explain. Another classmate wrote a neat lab report but couldn’t answer “why this parameter was chosen” — what’s the difference from the early robots that were “strong on the outside but weak on the inside”?
When Yushu’s founder Wang Xingxing was in college, he built his first robot with 200 yuan worth of parts. Although it was shaky, he thoroughly understood mechanical principles. The “core components” of the robot are professional knowledge: don’t just memorize the conclusions of advanced math formulas, understand the derivation logic; don’t just copy programming code templates, understand the function of each line; don’t be satisfied with just “getting it done” with experimental data, question “how can it be optimized further?”.
True growth is never about “just passing,” but about the persistence to refine the foundation into a “diamond.” Those professional books that you find hard to digest now, and the skills that make your hands numb, will eventually become the strength that allows you to stand firm in the future.
01
Build a Solid Foundation, Accumulate Growth Strength
02
“Constant Experimentation” Leads to Breakthroughs
Don’t get stuck in the “comfort zone” and sleep through it
What impresses me most about Yushu is that it never “lies flat.” If it were satisfied with just “being able to walk,” it wouldn’t have developed the later somersault skills; if it were content with just “being able to dance,” it wouldn’t have become the “battle god” on the competition stage. From quadrupedal robots to humanoid models, from laboratory samples to “smart porters” on Mount Tai, its evolution history is a history of “experimentation.”
Looking around us, some classmates are in a stagnation period: after adapting to the learning rhythm in the first year, they just aim to “not fail” in the second year; once they get the hang of their major courses, they no longer want to tackle competitions or research, which are the “hard bones to chew.” Last time during the “Challenge Cup” registration, a classmate said, “I definitely can’t do it,” but how do they know they can’t if they haven’t even tried?
In the early days of his startup, Wang Xingxing chose to tackle the “direct drive” technology instead of using the mature hydraulic drive technology, which many thought was crazy. However, this “experimentation” reduced the cost of Yushu’s robots by 80%. Growth is never about “maintaining,” but about “iterating.”
After exams, don’t just look at the scores; spend half an hour analyzing your weaknesses; after experiments, don’t rush to finish, summarize a set of avoidance techniques; during your spare time, don’t just scroll through short videos, go practice in the “Internet+” competition arena, even if you just play the role of a “pacer,” you can still learn real skills. Just like Yushu’s open-source code library attracts global developers to innovate, the more new scenarios you encounter, the more new skills you can unlock.
03
“True Growth Comes from Experiencing Storms”
Don’t be a “bookworm” in the “laboratory”
There is a heartbreaking phenomenon: Yushu never lets its robots stay in the laboratory “living in luxury,” but takes them to the Spring Festival Gala stage, factory workshops, and the mountain roads of Tai to “experience storms” — it is precisely these real-world scenarios that transform them from “prototypes” into “usable products.” However, some students take “learning the textbook is enough” as truth: when research projects recruit, they say “no time”; when social practice is announced, they complain “too troublesome”; even avoiding class activities. Last time, an engineering student was asked in a graduation interview, “How do you apply theory to actual production?” and was stumped — just like a robot tested only in a simulation environment, it “fails” in real scenarios.
Campus is the “testing ground” for growth: follow a teacher to participate in a research project, even if it’s just organizing data; participate in a rural teaching program to see how knowledge changes lives; team up for an entrepreneurship competition to experience the difficulty of turning ideas into reality. These experiences may not immediately add points to your resume, but they will help you understand the distance between “textbook knowledge” and “practical application.” Just like Yushu’s robots, which have carried goods on Mount Tai and moved parts in factories, they truly become “useful helpers.” Your growth also needs to be forged in the storms of practice, transforming from a “theoretical student” into a “problem-solving practitioner.”
The evolution of Yushu has never been “instantaneous”: from a 200 yuan prototype to a globally leading robot, Wang Xingxing and his team took eight years; from “shaky” to “dancing gracefully,” each robot has undergone thousands of adjustments. Growth never has a “shortcut”; those “highlight moments” you envy are backed by the persistence of “refining the core,” the courage to “break out of the comfort zone,” and the solid foundation of “rooted in practice.” Don’t rush for speed, and don’t fear making mistakes; treat every assignment as an opportunity to refine your “core components,” and every challenge as a chance for “iterative upgrades.”
One day, you will be like Yushu robots, on your own “stage,” able to withstand applause and endure storms, truly embodying both “literary and martial prowess.”
Author: Li Yun Yao, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Initial Review: Zhang Haoyu
Second Review: Li Zhe, Xu Ziwei
Final Review: Zou Jipeng
