Chinese Startup X Square Robot Unveils Humanoid for Household Chores

X Square Robot unveiled the Wall-B humanoid robot at an event in Beijing on Tuesday, designed to perform household tasks like picking up litter and arranging flowers. Unlike robots that run or dance, these actions require sophisticated environmental understanding. Founder and CEO Qian Wang noted that hardware is advanced but the 'brain' lags, as tasks like folding clothes or loading a dishwasher fail if off by 0.1 millimeters. The robot was trained on data from over 100 households to handle chaotic conditions. Competitors like DYNA Robotics and LG also showcased similar robots at CES in January, though slowly. The Wall-B is currently slow and clumsy, with occasional errors like putting slippers in the kitchen. Wang believes entering real households is key to improvement, with remote intervention available for malfunctions. He estimates household labor accounts for 20% of GDP, representing a massive market, but cost and safety hurdles remain.