国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Business / Technology

Becoming part of life, like smartphones

By Chai Hua (China Daily) Updated: 2015-11-24 08:12

Becoming part of life, like smartphones

Photo shows the Alpha 2, a half-meter-high humanoid robot. [Photo/people.com.cn]

From a popular star in the industrial world, the robot is all set to become part and parcel of everyday life, like the smartphone has.

Alpha 2, a half-meter-high humanoid robot built by the Shenzhen-based UBTECH Robotics Corp and displayed at the 17th China High-Tech Fair in Shenzhen, epitomizes the changes that are about to take place.

China's top technology show attracted many robot manufacturers. But Alpha 2 stood out for its special family-oriented services.

The "service robot" segment has seen remarkable growth in recent years. ABI Research estimates that the global market size of the segment will reach $75 billion in 2020.

Bi Yalei, professor at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and secretary-general of the Shenzhen Robotics Association, believes the market potential of service robots is huge.

"The International Federation of Robotics estimates that the size of robotics industry will surpass that of the automobile industry in 2020," Bi said. "Household service robotics, rather than industrial robotics, can help achieve the goal."

So, many Chinese mainland companies have developed service robots. For instance, Roby Mini, built by a Shanghai startup, assists the elderly in their day-to-day chores. Beijing-based Ainemo has developed a robot that provides company to families.

James Zhou, chairman and founder of UBTECH Robotics, believes Alpha 2's humanlike appearance is significant, given its family-oriented services.

Alpha 2 can demonstrate yoga movements and dance. It can also pass you tools using its "hand". It also boasts features like intelligent voice and communication capability.

Using its Android operating system, Alpha 2 can install different apps. It can tell stories, book tickets, switch off lights or activate the printer, as if it were a butler of a smart home.

So far, UBTECH's sales pulled in over 60 million yuan, 70 percent of it from overseas markets, including Japan, South Korea, the United States, Southeast Asia and West Asia, Zhou said.

And at $499, Alpha 2 costs less than similar robots made in Japan and Europe as Zhou and his team have developed a core component called the Servo at one-10th the cost in Japan, thanks to crowdfunding on the Indiegogo platform for the project.

For perspective, Nao, a robot comparable to Alpha 2 and developed by France-based Aldebaran Robotics, costs about 150,000 yuan ($23,500).

Crowdfunding is now the preferred choice for financing of firms keen to gain market share in the service robot segment. For instance, UBTECH Robotics wanted to raise $100,000 through crowdfunding, but received $500,000 in just five days.

Similarly, Ainemo put up its robot project on crowdfunding platform JD Finance on the Chinese mainland. It achieved its funding target in just 50 seconds. The total fund it raised--about 680,000 yuan--set a record on the platform.

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
永年县| 乌苏市| 黄梅县| 潜江市| 阿城市| 富源县| 来安县| 定边县| 婺源县| 德令哈市| 仁化县| 突泉县| 双流县| 武川县| 乐业县| 抚宁县| 资溪县| 勃利县| 巫山县| 保亭| 莱芜市| 卓尼县| 东辽县| 新郑市| 万山特区| 青田县| 弥勒县| 昌平区| 海门市| 齐河县| 石门县| 彭山县| 弥渡县| 安康市| 南投县| 怀仁县| 肇源县| 苏州市| 松溪县| 颍上县| 永泰县|