Recently, the Xiaopeng Orin robot made a stunning appearance with its catwalk, and its gait is indeed impressive, resembling that of a real person. I must say, the ability to perform such smooth movements shows that the technology is truly advanced and deserves praise. However, after the excitement fades, I often wonder what kind of humanoid robot we truly need beyond these flashy performances. The answer is quite simple: it lies not in those extravagant movements but in whether it can solve real problems, how intelligent it is, and whether it can progress alongside technological advancements.
1. Core Value: Replacing Repetitive Labor to Liberate Human Productivity
I believe the core value of humanoid robots is to help us with repetitive tasks, freeing humans from physical labor. Just think about it: chores like mopping the floor and washing dishes are tiring and time-consuming; in factories, repetitive assembly and moving tasks are dull and inefficient. The acrobatics and dancing performances on the streets and stages may be captivating, but they are not what we need the most. We look forward to robots entering our homes and factories, quietly taking on these mechanical and low-value tasks. Once robots handle these jobs, we can free up our hands to engage in more meaningful activities like creative design and scientific research. This is what humanoid robots should be like.
2. Core Competitiveness: The “Intelligent Brain” Built on Computing Power and AI
The key to enabling robots to perform these tasks effectively lies in computing power and AI, which constitute their core competitiveness. While walking the catwalk and performing flips may look impressive, most of it is based on pre-programmed routines supported by mechanical structures, which does not reflect true capability. What we truly need is for robots to learn to work in our way, to understand complex instructions, and to respond flexibly to unexpected situations—for example, planning a cleaning route and avoiding obstacles, or learning how to assemble things by observing us. Behind this, there must be powerful computing power as the “hardware backbone” to process massive amounts of data and provide real-time feedback; there must also be advanced AI algorithms as the “intelligent brain” that can make decisions, continuously learn, and adapt to different scenarios. Compared to hardware like motors and skeletons that can be optimized to reduce costs, this AI system is the key to determining how useful a robot is and is also the core of competition among companies.
3. Development Logic: Progressing in Tandem with AI Advancements
Moreover, the development of humanoid robots must be closely tied to the progress of AI, mutually enhancing each other. The intelligence level of robots fundamentally relies on the support of AI technology. If the understanding capabilities of large models improve, robots will be able to grasp our real needs more accurately; if reinforcement learning techniques are further optimized, they will learn complex skills more quickly. Conversely, the more robots are used in real scenarios, the more they can provide vast amounts of real data to help algorithms continuously upgrade. I am confident that as AI becomes more powerful, the capabilities of humanoid robots will expand from basic physical tasks to more complex fields like medical assistance and educational companionship, eventually becoming indispensable helpers in our lives.
In fact, flashy performances are just a starting point; practicality is the hard truth. The humanoid robots we expect do not need to perfectly mimic human movements; they just need to reliably solve real problems. They do not need to look exactly like humans on the surface; what matters is that they are intelligent, can understand commands, and can work effectively. As computing power and AI technology advance further, humanoid robots will surely shed the label of “performance tools” and truly integrate into our daily lives, empowering various industries and using the power of technology to change our ways of working, allowing us to move towards a more efficient and valuable direction.