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ksec 21 hours ago [-]
I have said it numerous times in the past 3-4 years. I believe robotics ( not just humanoids ) will be a bigger thing / threat than AI. And currently China is at least 5 years ahead of rest of the world.
narrator 17 hours ago [-]
I think people will be shocked when robots will be better at things that people train their whole lives for. For example, in the near future, a robot will be able to completely disassemble a car and put it back together completely autonomously. The polymathic understanding of vast amounts of information combined with physical dexterity and ability to work 24/7 will enable all sorts of wild things. The robot will even be able to take a huge pile of disorganized parts from a dissassembled car, and still put it back together. No normally talented person could reasonably be expected to pick a random screw off a pile of all the parts of a car and know where it would go in the assembly.
teyc 11 hours ago [-]
Robots can also add different attachments to perform specialised tasks that custom machines often did. They can also have more than two arms.
therealdrag0 13 hours ago [-]
On the one hand, this could unlock an abundance future. On the other hand, will it?
kilroy123 18 hours ago [-]
I make the same argument.
I think we'll soon see a robot arm that costs $2,000-5,00 and will be trainable/deployable in a single day. THIS is what will crush most labor around the world.
rasz 7 hours ago [-]
Video of Indian workers sewing clothes with cameras on their heads capturing AI training footage made rounds last month.
Robotics with ai is going to make automating office work seem like the warm up act.
Legend2440 19 hours ago [-]
Agreed, the hard part about robots is the controller.
We have been able to build robot bodies for decades, but we still don't really know how to build a robot mind. You need better AI than we currently have for that.
vablings 19 hours ago [-]
Yes, they are, robots have been driving modern manufacturing for over 50 years AI is newfangled technology
moralestapia 17 hours ago [-]
Both push the boundary of innovation on hardware/software. A product that combines the best of both will be killer.
Geeek 20 hours ago [-]
Worry not, Elon Musk has promised us that Tesla/XAI/SpaceX is is becoming a robotics firm and we will be saved by him. He is obviously to be truste.
GorbachevyChase 19 hours ago [-]
To be fair, reusable rockets and electric cars people wanted to drive were not in much supply prior to those companies. Then again, the boring company is probably only at a parity at best with other miners.
I’m still not quite sure why we want humanoid robots and not something more useful or purpose-built.
vessenes 22 hours ago [-]
Think of this like a car company having a racing program — building stuff like this will pay dividends elsewhere in the company; from product design to production chain. Example - boy, does that gait look uncomfortable to sit through. I can imagine wanting to spend more time on smoothness, careful foot planting, gait variations, etc. after having my R&D guys ride around in it. And with that done, I can imagine better wear cycles and faster, better looking small robots benefiting.
I’ll also note that cockpit has been padded. I’d love to see the crash outtake videos.
dmoy 22 hours ago [-]
> Example - boy, does that gait look uncomfortable to sit through.
Oof yea, now that I think about it, it's not like a horse trot that you can post through, since you're strapped in to the seat.
vessenes 22 hours ago [-]
Yes, ouch. But, also, surely someone is working on getting cantering, galloping, etc implemented? To your point the biggest innovation might be better seating.
jcgrillo 20 hours ago [-]
Ocean racing speedboats and small fast naval vessels have the kind of seats for this
nradov 19 hours ago [-]
US Navy boat crews have suffered frequent injuries from the constant hammering.
Is there a video where the CEO is riding the robot? Because the video that is embedded in the X post doesn't show that at all. He is taking a seat there but it's clear that there is a puppet sitting in it (with a helmet on) when it's moving.
sobellian 19 hours ago [-]
The cage leaves a lot to be desired - imagine that thing falling on a fire hydrant. The helmet will not help you then. No thanks!
denvrede 19 hours ago [-]
Sure, just saying because gagadet.com mentions in the article:
> Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing piloted the unit himself during the May 12 reveal on Weibo — a pointed way of demonstrating confidence in a 500kg machine.
KronisLV 22 hours ago [-]
What would you use it for that other machines are unsuitable for? Carrying stuff? Helping with somewhat heavy construction tasks? The torso seems a bit too in the way of the hands to be useful for anything. I mean, it looks cool but might be kinda useless.
pjc50 22 hours ago [-]
It's for throwing the alien queen off the spaceship, obviously.
(It looks uncannily like the loader Ripley drives in Aliens)
philipwhiuk 21 hours ago [-]
Or destroying AI controlled attackers swarming from the ceiling
(It's also close to the APUs in Matrix Revolutions).
ASalazarMX 15 hours ago [-]
Also looks like a rudimentary Fallout power armor.
econ 19 hours ago [-]
For the boss to walk around the factory and strike fear and laughter deep into the hearts of employees.
If I were a billionaire, I would construct a 10 foot robot suit that looks exactly like me and survey the peasants in that.
torginus 15 hours ago [-]
I disagree - teleoperated robot arms with human like kinematics makes it possible for human operators to perform relatively delicate but heavy tasks that needed heavy machinery before.
Imagine one of these things working on a powerline or stacking bricks like legos to build a house.
rasz 7 hours ago [-]
Teledildonics was the future that never really materialized at the wider scale. If porn cant make it work then no one (other than military for obvious reasons) will.
torginus 2 hours ago [-]
I never wouldve thought my post about industrial robots would serve as a setup for an elaborate yo mama joke
wongarsu 22 hours ago [-]
It might fit a niche between a forklift and a crane. Pick up large things and move them, with some of the versatility of the crane and mobility of a forklift. While being too big to fit in most places, and probably having a fraction of the load capacity of either
I think the article nails it:
> Early buyers are likely theme parks, industrial operators, or deep-pocketed enthusiasts
It looks cool, and unless you have a very specific niche that will be its main feature
jcgrillo 20 hours ago [-]
There's no way this thing is stable enough or heavy enough to be even remotely useful for that application. They state 500kg including operator. No outriggers, all the weight is up high... that dog don't hunt.
ottah 19 hours ago [-]
Not to mention that there is no way it even has enough onboard power to operate long enough to do useful work.
ASalazarMX 15 hours ago [-]
Next iteration: the spider robot!
jcgrillo 8 hours ago [-]
TBH the 1999 visionary documentary The Wild Wild West is the foundational pedestal upon which I emplace technology writ large.
ASalazarMX 15 hours ago [-]
It's a weird and kind of ridiculous vehicle, but it'll improve and find uses with time. I can't think anything outside warehouses and entertaining, though, because I couldn't ride one of these to work.
ottah 19 hours ago [-]
The only thing I have seen that bipedal and quad robots have over wheels is the ability to traverse more terrain types.
eunos 14 hours ago [-]
Need a few prototype before we can create the penitent engine
2ndorderthought 22 hours ago [-]
I could see some applications for it. But they are selling it as a mode of transportation?
joe_mamba 22 hours ago [-]
>The torso seems a bit too in the way of the hands to be useful for anything.
The wide torso/cage is what's protecting the human operator should the robot fall over.
Tyeah, the ones from Avatar look cooler, but imagine you fall on your face in it, you'd get turned into mush.
ramesh31 20 hours ago [-]
>What would you use it for that other machines are unsuitable for?
The thing I love about the tech culture in China is that they never really seem to ask themselves this question. They just do cool things because they seem cool. See their EV market for more of this. A car with a movie projector for headlights? Why not? Wish we had more of that in the US.
datadrivenangel 20 hours ago [-]
Meta ray bans and evtol drone taxis and waymos... we've got plenty of cool stuff in the US that's cool and question.
close04 22 hours ago [-]
It's about as useful as an F1 car if you see it as a development platform.
moralestapia 18 hours ago [-]
What is the use of a Hermes bag? Carrying stuff? Did you know that people buy sneakers for thousands of dollars and don't wear them at all? What is the use of that?
People like to have fun, you already know this; but perhaps what you don't know is that the "fun" segment of the world economy is trillions of dollars big. People like to have fun a lot, having fun on its own is enough of a trigger for many people to acquire stuff.
This thing will sell like hot cakes.
jcgrillo 20 hours ago [-]
A forklift would be more useful and you'd have like $600k+ left over
tw1984 22 hours ago [-]
boost the valuation of your company.
simonsarris 17 hours ago [-]
we spent one zillion dollars over 200 years to make flat surfaces everywhere, often perfectly flat (like inside of stores), so that ball bearing wheels can work well. We've found that tracks work even offroad. Arms, sure, but why legs?
Around a dockyard or a warehouse, a small tank with 6 arms might make more sense!
maxglute 21 hours ago [-]
I like the almost lego arm attachment, I enjoy the thought that in future, some kid is bolting 4 junk yard arms to a scrap roll cage to build a quadruped menace.
toasty228 22 hours ago [-]
Wow it can even break a mortarless brick wall, impressive!
dragonelite 23 hours ago [-]
Dam china making gundams, before GTA 6.
f6v 21 hours ago [-]
We've got the whole paradigm shift of using AI before GTA6. There's a fat chance there's not going to be anyone around to play when they're finally done.
dwa3592 19 hours ago [-]
This robot is 4 times lighter and probably 15-30 times slower than the car I drive (a regular compact suv). But will this be allowed where cars aren't allowed? inside the malls? or general footpaths? I am not thrilled by it but it also feels cool at the same time. If it's something I get to play with in a theme park, I will definitely try it but for public spaces - this should be a absolute no-no.
NooneAtAll3 22 hours ago [-]
I remember years ago there was giant robot duel
looong youtube video, a lot of unnecessary hyping - all to end in 5 second after one robot drove into the other and it just fell
This confirms my suspicion that being in the cockpit of a scifi mecha is one of the most seasickness inducing experiences imaginable.
fidotron 22 hours ago [-]
That we're all looking at a bipedal walking robot you can sit in and ride around and no one here seems remotely impressed by this is a sure sign we're in the future.
90d 22 hours ago [-]
We got the first real-life Spiderman villain before GTA VI
aviat 12 hours ago [-]
It looks like China is going to beat Japan to building a Gundam
kasperni 22 hours ago [-]
I want to watch Cybertruck vs GD01
close04 22 hours ago [-]
Why the Cybertruck? What does it bring to the table other than a futuristic name and a polarizing design? Why not a Ford Raptor or F-150 Lightning?
22 hours ago [-]
tedcrilly 22 hours ago [-]
Wonder if the security posture is as good as the robot dog Benn Jordan tested.
joe_mamba 22 hours ago [-]
The design is very human
tmerc 19 hours ago [-]
Sup homies.
msuniverse2026 22 hours ago [-]
Neat, I wonder just how far these things can be scaled.
blueblisters 20 hours ago [-]
those are some massive actuators on those joints
moralestapia 18 hours ago [-]
Omg! Finally! Amazing :D
Can't wait to have one of mine.
Theodores 21 hours ago [-]
Everything get heavy when machines get this big. I wonder what the optimal height is for a bipedal robot? With humans there are limits to height as the heart has more work to do in order to reach a brain that is higher up than it needs to be, plus things like backs give out.
A lot of these humanoid robots are a tad diminutive, it will be interesting to see if that is the size that is settled on. Clearly there are constraints such as door sizes and what humans will accept, however, it will be a lot less clutter if the typical home has smaller rather than larger humanoid robots.
I have every confidence I will have Optimus by next year, running with neuralink and able to tidy my sock drawer for me. But what size will he/she be?
AndrewKemendo 21 hours ago [-]
I’ve bought at least three Unitree products and they are great
I just wish they would to hire people from the US cause I’d love to work there
If anybody knows how to get a job there, I’ve talked with a bunch of people from the company, and they basically say “yeah we’re not hiring ever”
tenwz1 23 hours ago [-]
toy
tgv 22 hours ago [-]
It indeed looks like a toy for rich people. Ideal for when you want to break a loosely stacked brick wall.
micromacrofoot 22 hours ago [-]
so when it's on all fours you're just on your back looking skyward?
vbezhenar 22 hours ago [-]
You switch your position, the back becomes a seat and vice versa. Gotta be hard to execute in a limited space, so probably you're not even supposed to do that while being inside.
mrguyorama 13 hours ago [-]
So a Biped walking on it's knuckles is "Transforming" now? The seat doesn't even re-orient. Nothing is transforming.
Nobody else seems to be noting that the hands on this thing are non-functional. They have action figure style holes!
Without really good controls, this thing can't really do anything at all.
What a disappointing "Demo". Compare this thing to existing demo "Exoskeleton" supports that US military and Japanese industry have been working on for decades, or for a more fun side, the stupid "Pilotable robots" that some company put together for a Gundam-like Fighting robot television show.
I think we'll soon see a robot arm that costs $2,000-5,00 and will be trainable/deployable in a single day. THIS is what will crush most labor around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNrCjYytV2s
We have been able to build robot bodies for decades, but we still don't really know how to build a robot mind. You need better AI than we currently have for that.
I’m still not quite sure why we want humanoid robots and not something more useful or purpose-built.
I’ll also note that cockpit has been padded. I’d love to see the crash outtake videos.
Oof yea, now that I think about it, it's not like a horse trot that you can post through, since you're strapped in to the seat.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/15/navy-must-do-more-to-protec...
The median weight of a 25 year old guy in the USA is about 30% heavier than in China.
potential backdoors, weak security and other concerns.
[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA8WuXDXfcI
> Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing piloted the unit himself during the May 12 reveal on Weibo — a pointed way of demonstrating confidence in a 500kg machine.
(It looks uncannily like the loader Ripley drives in Aliens)
(It's also close to the APUs in Matrix Revolutions).
Imagine one of these things working on a powerline or stacking bricks like legos to build a house.
I think the article nails it:
> Early buyers are likely theme parks, industrial operators, or deep-pocketed enthusiasts
It looks cool, and unless you have a very specific niche that will be its main feature
The wide torso/cage is what's protecting the human operator should the robot fall over.
Tyeah, the ones from Avatar look cooler, but imagine you fall on your face in it, you'd get turned into mush.
The thing I love about the tech culture in China is that they never really seem to ask themselves this question. They just do cool things because they seem cool. See their EV market for more of this. A car with a movie projector for headlights? Why not? Wish we had more of that in the US.
People like to have fun, you already know this; but perhaps what you don't know is that the "fun" segment of the world economy is trillions of dollars big. People like to have fun a lot, having fun on its own is enough of a trigger for many people to acquire stuff.
This thing will sell like hot cakes.
Around a dockyard or a warehouse, a small tank with 6 arms might make more sense!
looong youtube video, a lot of unnecessary hyping - all to end in 5 second after one robot drove into the other and it just fell
looks like someone made a supercut of all the fights, and it is still too long and has uncomfortable hyping from narrator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTkVrRkziDI
Can't wait to have one of mine.
A lot of these humanoid robots are a tad diminutive, it will be interesting to see if that is the size that is settled on. Clearly there are constraints such as door sizes and what humans will accept, however, it will be a lot less clutter if the typical home has smaller rather than larger humanoid robots.
I have every confidence I will have Optimus by next year, running with neuralink and able to tidy my sock drawer for me. But what size will he/she be?
I just wish they would to hire people from the US cause I’d love to work there
If anybody knows how to get a job there, I’ve talked with a bunch of people from the company, and they basically say “yeah we’re not hiring ever”
Nobody else seems to be noting that the hands on this thing are non-functional. They have action figure style holes!
Without really good controls, this thing can't really do anything at all.
What a disappointing "Demo". Compare this thing to existing demo "Exoskeleton" supports that US military and Japanese industry have been working on for decades, or for a more fun side, the stupid "Pilotable robots" that some company put together for a Gundam-like Fighting robot television show.