Nio has assembled a team of about 20 people to research an AI robot dog project, headed by a former Momenta algorithm expert, according to local media. Nio is now more cautious than before about a new domain.
Nio (NYSE: NIO) has assembled a team of about 20 people to research an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robot dog project, local media 21jingji said in a report today.
The team is headed by Xu Kang, a former algorithm expert at self-driving startup Momenta, who joined Nio’s self-driving team a few years ago, according to the report.
The report indicated that NEO is now more cautious than before about the new field.
Compared with bipedal robots, four-legged robot dogs are more stable, flexible, endurable and more suitable for complex terrain, the report said, adding that the control systems for such products are relatively simple and do not require intelligent hands.
With their small size, flexible and stable movement, and relatively low investment, four-legged robotic dogs are expected to be the first to be widely used, playing a role in areas including electrical power inspection, fire rescue, and national defense, with the potential market size in the hundreds, the report said. Billions of renminbi.
The report noted that although the cost of developing robotic dogs is lower than that of artificial intelligence robots, the comprehensive development of embodied artificial intelligence is still in its early stages.
“Smart cars can be viewed as robots with limited scenarios, but developing intelligent driving takes more time. Embodied intelligence with a broader range of usage scenarios should be much harder to achieve,” said one industry insider.
Embodied AI, such as robots and robotic dogs, is seen as a hot area where AI will play a role. The report said that the use of large, comprehensive AI models for intelligent driving in the past year has opened the eyes of practitioners to the opportunities available in the field of embodied AI.
In the auto industry, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is a pioneer in embodied AI, unveiling its first robot, Optimus, at its AI Day 2022 event.
In China, He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng (NYSE:
On September 7, 2021, Xpeng Robotics unveiled the Intelligent Robot Pony, claiming that it has a car-level intelligent driving system that recognizes environments and objects, builds maps, and plans routes through cameras and LiDAR.
At its AI Day event on November 6, 2024, Xpeng unveiled Iron, a humanoid robot measuring 178 cm tall and weighing 70 kg, which is close to a real person.
Iron was already working in Xpeng’s factories. The company said at the time that it would also enter retail stores, offices, homes and other scenarios in the future.
Late last month, Li Xiang, founder, chairman and CEO of Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), said at an AI Talk event that the company’s future foray into humanoid robots is “100 percent possible,” but the time is not now. .
Li categorized Li Auto as an AI company, saying that its goal is not to make cars smart, but to use cars as a vehicle for AI and promote AI for every household.
More local companies are targeting new opportunities provided by artificial intelligence.
GAC Group unveiled GoMate on December 26, saying it is the third generation of its internally developed embodied AI robot.
The human form can be switched between quadrilateral and bimodal modes. It is approximately 1.4m high in four-legged mode and up to 1.75m high in two-footed mode.
Also on December 26, local media outlet Meiren Auto cited multiple sources to say that BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has established a dedicated team within its 15th business unit to develop embodied AI products, including humanoid robots.
Nio exec explains how its factories use humanoid robots
