SHANGHAI - China's first full-sized general-purpose humanoid robot, named Qinglong, made its debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2024. Standing at 180 centimeters tall, Qinglong demonstrated its capabilities by performing tasks such as desk cleaning, following voice instructions from staff members. This innovative machine represents a significant advancement in humanoid robotics.

Developed by the Shanghai-based National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, Qinglong features a highly bionic torso and anthropomorphic motion control, enabling multi-modal mobility, perception, interaction, and manipulation. The robot can walk stably on slopes and perform rapid walking with agile obstacle avoidance. It boasts 43 active degrees of freedom, a maximum joint peak torque of 400 N·m (Newton-meters), and 400 TOPs (Tera Operations Per Second) of computational power.

Open-Source Technology and Future Applications
“We have released the full stack technology related to humanoid robots to the public as open source, including the brain, cerebellum, and limb technologies,” said Xu Bin, general manager of the innovation center. He added, “In the next five to 10 years or even longer, it will allow for greater applications in areas such as household services and caregiving.”

The humanoid robot, developed with a registered capital of one billion RMB ($140 million), is part of an ambitious plan to foster a unique humanoid robot innovation community in China. “In the Year of the Dragon this year, we named our humanoid robot Qinglong [meaning green dragon in Chinese] and initiated an open-source community for humanoid robotics,” said Jiang Lei, chief scientist of the National Local Joint Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.

At WAIC, Qinglong was showcased arranging bread and fruit separately in response to a command. The robot picked up a piece of soft bread with its steel fingers and placed it into a basket on the table, demonstrating its precise manipulation abilities. The machine combines mobile lower limbs for agile walking with lightweight, high-precision upper limbs for various operations.

Global Collaboration and Innovation
The World AI Conference focuses on the theme “Governing AI for Good and for All” this year, aiming to establish international cooperation and exchange platforms featuring openness, inclusiveness, and equal participation. It seeks to advance global AI governance and develop an open, fair, and effective governance mechanism. WAIC 2024 features 500 exhibitors, including global giants like Tesla and Microsoft, showcasing over 1,500 innovative products.

On the same day, Tesla debuted its second-generation humanoid robot, Optimus, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Hall. Optimus has improved its walking speed by 30% and can perform delicate tasks such as gripping eggs and handling heavy objects. Tesla plans to start limited production of humanoid robots next year, with over 1,000 Optimus units expected to assist in production tasks at Tesla factories, according to CEO Elon Musk.

OpenLoong open-source community website
Jiang Lei announced the launch of the OpenLoong open-source community website, which includes the release of the robot’s hardware structure and parameters. The embodied intelligence software package is set to be open-sourced soon. Through initiatives like these, China aims to introduce a new humanoid robot model annually, each named after one of the Chinese zodiac animals, fostering a dynamic and innovative humanoid robot community.

China had previously announced that the country plans to mass produce humanoid robots in 2025.