Chinese technology company Xiaomi has taken a significant step towards integrating humanoid robotics into industrial manufacturing. The company’s robots are currently completing an “internship” at its electric vehicle factory, said the company’s founder and CEO Lei Jun.
The company’s humanoid robots have begun autonomous operation in real-world manufacturing scenarios at the company’s automobile factory, the Xiaomi CEO said.
The robots, based on the universal VLA (vision-language-action) basic model Xiaomi-Robotics-0, combine multimodal perception capabilities with reinforcement learning technologies to achieve autonomous operation, Lei discussed.
However, transferring robot operations from the laboratory to the factory floor poses significant challenges, the manager admitted.
“In the laboratory we can conduct technological research – 10,000 failed attempts can lead to success,” explained Lei. “In real factories, however, we need to achieve 10,000 successes in a row to meet production requirements. Although our robots may still seem a bit ‘clumsy’ to observers, this is a significant start.”
Lei predicts that “a large number of humanoid robots will be used in Xiaomi’s factories within the next five years.” The company is making an intensive contribution to promoting the application of universal humanoid robots in intelligent manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi unveiled its first Vision Gran Turismo concept car at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, making it the first Chinese automaker to join the iconic racing game’s concept car program in its 28-year history.
The electric supercar concept is based on Xiaomi’s own 900V silicon carbide (SiC) platform and features a radical, low-slung design with scissor doors, a massive carbon fiber rear wing and center lock rims that hide carbon ceramic brakes.
