Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly lifelike, with some capable of performing complex movements that would challenge even humans. However, their intelligence still lags behind their physical capabilities. To address this, robotics companies are integrating their robots with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, aiming to improve their ability to interact with humans and perform tasks autonomously.

One such company is Figure, which has partnered with OpenAI in this endeavor. Following suit, Chinese robotics company UBTech has announced a collaboration with Chinese search giant Baidu to integrate its Ernie language model — a Chinese competitor to ChatGPT — into its Walker S robot.

UBTech has released a video showcasing the robot’s capabilities after integrating it with Ernie AI, demonstrating significant improvements in several areas, including:

1- Language Understanding and Task Breakdown

The robot can now understand and respond to spoken Chinese commands. For example, a user can ask it to perform tasks such as folding clothes. Ernie analyzes the user’s request and automatically determines the necessary actions for the robot to take. Similarly, when asked to sort and arrange objects, Ernie identifies the required steps and executes them autonomously.

2- Human Interaction:

Thanks to Ernie’s capabilities and its connection to Baidu Search, the robot can also serve as a personal assistant, offering advice in various domains.

Specifications of Walker S

UBTech has not yet released the specifications of the Walker S on its website. The company currently offers three humanoid robot models: Walker X, Walker, and Panda. It appears that the company has discontinued development of the Walker X and Walker models, as the company’s chairman, in celebration of the company’s listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was only joined on stage by the Panda and the new Walker S robots.

While details about the latter’s specifications remain unavailable, it appears to be more agile and robust, with a closer resemblance in shape and size to robots such as Kepler and Tesla.

The Future of Humanoid Robots

The competition in the humanoid robotics field is intensifying, and the integration of powerful language models undoubtedly enhances their capabilities and autonomy. However, this alone is not enough to ensure that they can perform tasks safely and effectively.