China’s first robot chef approved for commercial use

China’s first licensed pancake-making robot, developed by Joybing Robot Co., is now operating in Beijing E-Town. This advanced COBOT (collaborative robot) creates perfect Chinese-style pancakes in just three minutes, customizable via an interactive screen with QR codes. With nearly 100 units already delivered and an expected order volume of 5,000 to 10,000 this year, this innovation is set to revolutionize the catering industry. 🎉 What do you think about this incredible leap in robotics?

• System 2 (S2): An internet-pretrained VLM operating at 7-9 Hz, which provides broad scene understanding and language comprehension. This system allows the robot to generalize across various objects and contexts, helping it plan high-level goals.
• System 1 (S1): A fast-reactive visuomotor policy running at 200 Hz, which takes the semantic representations from S2 and translates them into precise, real-time robot actions.

This decoupled architecture allows each system to operate optimally, with S2 handling complex, slow-thinking tasks, while S1 executes quick actions in real-time. For example, in collaborative settings, S1 can dynamically adjust to a partner robot’s movements while staying aligned with the high-level objectives set by S2, ensuring a smooth and adaptive interaction.

Helix sets a new standard for advanced robotics, merging the strengths of generalization and speed into a unified system capable of performing complex tasks with dexterity and precision.

To further know more about this onboard embedded low-power-consumption GPU robot.

Despite the hype, the robot vacuum is the only home robot that has truly made a remarkable impact in the market. Several factors have contributed to the struggle of other robots in gaining widespread acceptance, including their high price tags, questionable reliability, and limited capabilities. It’s not due to a lack of effort or consumer interest, but rather because no other robot has yet found the perfect balance of affordability and functionality that would appeal to the mass market.

The future of robots in the home is likely to hinge on improving how they collaborate with the people who own them. The first generation of home robots probably won’t be able to tackle household chores on their own, but with the right enhancements in interaction and assistance, they could become valuable partners in everyday tasks.

Age tech presents a promising area for innovation, especially when it comes to helping older adults live independently. Take Labrador’s automated serving cart as an example—this type of technology highlights the potential for robots to provide vital support in the lives of aging individuals. However, for such systems to truly gain mainstream acceptance, major advances, like those Meta is working on, will be necessary.

The vision for bipedal robots is clear: they could one day become an integral part of home life. But before that happens, a significant reduction in price and a huge boost in reliability will be required. The future of home robotics hinges on achieving these critical milestones.

A video has gone viral on social media, sparking debate about the risks of artificial intelligence. In the video, a robot becomes self-aware and starts aggressive with its purpose, instead of just walking around the house. The video showcases an installation by Japanese artist Takayuki Todo, featuring two robotic dogs chained to a pillar in an unknown gallery in Tokyo . Designed to attack visitors—or so the internet claims —these mechanical quadrupeds, reminiscent of Xiaomi’s Cyberdog and Boston Dynamics’ Spot

Robots gain agility

An ASAP-trained humanoid robot can now replicate signature moves from sports legends, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siu” celebration with a mid-air spin, LeBron James’s “Silencer” with precise single-leg balancing, and Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway jump shot. Beyond sports moves, it can also perform forward and side jumps exceeding one meter.

While the robot may still appear clumsy due to hardware limitations and fewer articulations than a human, it demonstrates significantly improved dexterity compared to previous humanoid robots. The advancement is largely due to the “delta action model,” which compensates for differences between simulated and real-world physics. By integrating this correction mechanism, researchers reduced tracking errors by up to 52.7 percent, allowing the robot to execute complex whole-body motions previously unattainable.

In other side, Unitree has the new evolving technologies, which are creating waves in the robotics sector. According to Hong Kong 01, after the viral performance of robots dancing to the tune of Niu Yang Ge at the Spring Festival Gala, the demand for humanoid robots surged, leading to supply shortages, with some units being sold out. The daily rental for these robots skyrocketed to as high as 15,000 RMB, while second-hand prices were inflated to 120,000 RMB. A sales manager from Unitree Technologies shared that humanoid robots are not yet ideal for purchase for dance performances, as their movements remain limited—mostly walking and waving. To perform a complete dance routine, a company would need a significant team to develop the necessary adaptations, which is an expensive process. “For personal buyers, right now, these robots are more like display props,” he explained. He also warned that the industry is currently overheated and urged people to ‘calm down,’ mentioning that the price of quadruped robots might eventually drop to 3,000 to 4,000 RMB, bringing them closer to the consumer market. However, an insider has suggested that this price estimate may not be entirely accurate, and there’s no official comment from Unitree regarding any price cuts. Meanwhile, a video recently posted by Wang Xingxing, showing Unitree’s G1 robot dancing with fluid and natural motions, caught the attention of many online. To prove the authenticity of the video and that the actions were not AI-generated, staff threw a soccer ball at the robot and used a stick to interfere with it.

Wang Xingxing also responded to comments, confirming that the new functionality showcased in the video had only been recently developed and had yet to be pushed to clients. Different models and versions of the robot have varying capabilities, he added.”