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<\/p>\n Marketed to singles and people older than 60 years old, the humanoid robots are touted to be the cure
\nfor loneliness, fitted with an artificial intelligence tool that gets to know its user over time<\/p>\n
Their metallic frames covered in supple, lifelike skin, a posse of new Chinese robots meant for companionship can offer users artificial intelligence (AI)-generated conversation or a hand to hold, complete with manicured nails.<\/p>\n
The company UBTech says its U1 robot \u2014 equipped with eye cameras, chest sensors and listening microphones \u2014 is the world\u2019s first full-sized, ultra-realistic humanoid designed for mass production.<\/p>\n
Touted as an antidote to loneliness, the robots are priced at 119,800 yuan (US$17,600) for the most basic type and 990,000 yuan (US$145,700) for an \u201cultra\u201d version with more advanced features.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Photo: AP<\/p>\n
\u201cOur bionic robots can accompany you for a lifetime,\u201d Michael Tam, head of UBTech\u2019s brand UWorld, said on Tuesday at a launch event in the southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will never betray you, will always be loyal to you, and will love you unconditionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you pay enough, the androids\u2019 hair, face and outfits can be customized to resemble a loved one, a celebrity or an imaginary character.<\/p>\n
Male and female U1s can speak through an AI tool programmed by the company to offer soothing words if it detects fatigue or stress, and get to know its user over time.<\/p>\n
The product is mainly aimed at single people and those aged more than 60 \u2014 a \u201ccolossal market\u201d in China of around 120 million and 320 million respectively, Tam said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people have a great need for companionship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
UBTech says it has already had more than 13,300 pre-orders, with deliveries due to start in September.<\/p>\n
Robotics is a booming sector worldwide, and Chinese startups have raced ahead in the past few years, helped in part by their access to the country\u2019s existing supply chains.<\/p>\n
The basic U1 can move its head, eyes and mouth, and has a battery life of up to four hours \u2014 but it does not do housework or cooking, and its skills do not extend to the bedroom either.<\/p>\n
It is not designed to offer intimate relations, at least \u201cfor now,\u201d UBTech says.<\/p>\n
However, it can discuss users\u2019 daily concerns, remind them to take medication and help spot potential health problems, or even propose watching a World Cup match together.<\/p>\n
Generative AI is also being deployed elsewhere in an effort to ease loneliness, especially among older populations.<\/p>\n
In South Korea, cuddly ChatGPT-powered dolls are used in some care homes, while a lamp-like AI device called ElliQ offers similar companionship and safety-monitoring services.<\/p>\n
Lian Jye Su, a Singapore-based chief analyst at Omdia, said that he does see \u201cvalue in a companion robot, albeit in a niche market\u201d such as care for older people or mental wellness.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cthey have to pass the \u2018uncanny valley\u2019 test to appear physically and emotionally acceptable,\u201d with current models perhaps too off-putting to sell well, Su said, referring to the phenomenon in which interactions with artificial objects are so human-like it triggers unease.<\/p>\n
The race to develop AI tools that humans trust has raised concerns over data privacy and the risk of becoming emotionally attached to a machine, including accusations that chatbots have encouraged suicides.<\/p>\n
UBTech says the data processed by its U1 robots is encrypted and would not be used to train its AI models.<\/p>\n
In Shenzhen on Tuesday, the company did not shy away from sci-fi associations, showing off its ultra-realistic bots with outfits and visuals inspired by video games, and a spaceship on a giant screen.<\/p>\n
Robots of all shapes and sizes can be seen in many places in China, from hotels to shopping centers and in factories.<\/p>\n
The country accounted for 85 percent of the world\u2019s humanoid installations last year, Barclays bank said.<\/p>\n
The government has designated robotics a strategic industry, and says that by last year, more than 140 Chinese companies had already launched more than 330 humanoid robot models.<\/p>\n
These companies, like their global rivals, are also ploughing resources into the development of physical AI \u2014 technology that allows robots to move and interact with the world autonomously.<\/p>\n
However, for now, the scope and performance of real-life use cases for robots that use AI for movement remains limited, with most impressive displays pre-programmed or remotely operated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marketed to singles and people older than 60 years old, the humanoid robots are touted to be the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[345,343,344,85,46,125,5701,5700],"class_list":["post-526226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology","tag-the-taipei-times","tag-5700"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}