According to local media, Nio has assembled a team of about 20 people to study the AI robot dog project, led by a former Momenta algorithm expert. Nio is more cautious about new fields.
Nio (NYSE:NIO) has assembled a team of about 20 people to research an artificial intelligence (AI) robot dog project, local media outlet 21jingji reported in a report today.
The team is led by Xu Kang, a former algorithm expert at self-driving startup Momenta who joined Nio’s self-driving team several years ago, according to the report.
Nio is now more cautious about new areas, the report said.
The report states that compared to bipedal robots, quadrupedal robot dogs have better stability, flexibility, load-bearing capacity, and are more suitable for complex terrain, and the control systems of such products are He added that it is simple and does not require a nimble hand.
Quadruped robot dogs are small, capable of flexible and stable movement, and require relatively low investment, so they are expected to be used quickly and on a large scale, playing a role in fields such as power inspection, fire and rescue, and national defense. has been. According to the report, the potential market size is in the hundreds of billions of yuan.
Although the cost of developing a robotic dog is lower than that of an AI robot, the overall development of physical AI is still in its early stages, the report notes.
“A smart car can be considered a robot with limited scenarios, but more time is needed to develop smart driving. Obtaining embodied intelligence with a wider range of usage scenarios It must be much more difficult to do so,” said an industry source.
Embodied AI, such as robots and robot dogs, is considered a hot field for AI. The use of end-to-end large-scale AI models for smart driving over the past year has led practitioners to look at opportunities in the field of embodied AI, according to the report. .
In the automotive industry, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is a leader in embodied AI, announcing its first humanoid robot, Optimus, at its AI Day 2022 event.
In China, Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng officially entered robotics in December 2020 by acquiring robotics startup Dogotix and subsequently founding Xpeng Robotics, 21jingji reports. pointed out.
On September 7, 2021, Xpeng Robotics unveils a smart robot pony, claiming it is equipped with an automotive-grade intelligent driving system that recognizes the environment and objects, builds maps, and plans routes through cameras and LiDAR. did.
At the AI Day event on November 6, 2024, Xpeng announced Iron, a humanoid robot that is 178 cm tall and weighs 70 kg, which is close to a real human.
Iron was already in operation at Xpeng’s factory. The company said at the time that it would also be introduced in retail, office, and home scenarios in the future.
Late last month, Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI) founder, chairman, and CEO Li Xiang said at an AI talk event that there was a “100 percent chance that the company would expand into humanoid robots in the future.” “There is, but now is not the time.” .
Mr. Lee characterized Lee Auto as an AI company and said that the company’s goal is not to make cars intelligent, but to use cars as a vehicle for AI and bring AI to every home.
More and more local businesses are eyeing new opportunities presented by AI.
GAC Group announced GoMate on December 26th, announcing that it is the third generation of its self-developed body-shaped AI robot.
The humanoid form can be switched between quadrupedal and bipedal modes. The height is approximately 1.4 meters in quadrupedal mode and up to 1.75 meters in bipedal mode.
In addition, on December 26, local media Bijin Auto cited multiple sources, stating that BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) will develop body-shaped AI products including humanoid robots under its 15th business division. It was reported that a specialized team has been established to do so.
Nio executives explain how humanoid robots are used in factories
