The article describes a “robot carnival” held on the outskirts of Shanghai, where over 100 companies showcased their robotic technologies to the public. The event featured a variety of robots, including specialized bots for practical tasks and humanoid robots designed to perform everyday chores such as making coffee and folding T-shirts. The carnival aimed to provide hands-on experiences for attendees, particularly families, to interact with and observe the capabilities of these robots.

The author notes that humanoid robots are gaining traction in China as part of the nation’s strategy to integrate artificial intelligence into daily life, a concept referred to as embodied AI. China has emerged as a global leader in humanoid robot production, with nearly 90% of the world’s two-armed, two-legged robots delivered last year originating from the country. Despite challenges such as safety concerns, high costs, and limited battery life that have hindered the widespread adoption of humanoids elsewhere, Chinese firms are actively promoting their latest models through public demonstrations, including at the Shanghai carnival and similar events in other Chinese cities. The author observes that these public showcases appear to be successfully generating public enthusiasm for humanoid robots, at least during the weekend of the reported event.

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This is a summary. Read the original at technologyreview.com.