China is winning the humanoid robotics race — literally
On Sunday, Lightning, a 5-foot-5-inch, bright red humanoid robot, completed a half-marathon in record time, almost completely on its own. But about 220 yards from the finish line, Lightning slammed into a barricade and fell over, almost as if it was giving up. Despite the tumble, Lightning got back up with the help of its team and completed the race in just under 51 minutes. Even with the disruption, Lightning outperformed the current world record holder, Jacob Kiplimo, who completed the half-marathon in 57 minutes, 20 seconds.
China has a large lead in robot manufacturing, shipping more than 1,000 humanoid robots, according to The Journal. No American company has shipped more than 500.
Why is there such a push for humanoid robots? Several countries are betting high on humanoid robots, but no country is betting more than China, as Straight Arrow News has previously reported. It makes sense since China has the most to gain from the technology. China has maintained its position as the world’s largest manufacturer, but a massive issue could erode its dominance. Following decades of its One-Child Policy, China faces population decline. The sentiment among Chinese people has also exacerbated the problem, as fewer people are less eager to work low-paying manual labor jobs. Robots could eliminate that issue for China, creating an entire labor force using its massive manufacturing infrastructure. China also understands humanoid robots would benefit every country and being the first country to perfect the tech would give the country massive leverage over others.
Many U.S. tech companies understand that advanced humanoid robotics will likely be a massive future tech market but they are focusing more on artificial intelligence. Many of them believe that building more advanced AI systems first allows them to create any technology afterward, only much faster.