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Real-life Pacific Rim! World's first manned transforming robot is unveiled - and it could be yours for 650,000

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Realtor's evil ex-husband avoids murder trial with guilty plea after'ambushing' mother of two while she begged for her life on 911 call Explosive Supreme Court LEAK reveals stinging whispers about'belligerent' justice read the wild rants troubling both sides of the aisle Married doctor's affair with glamorous younger woman explodes into Fatal Attraction-style court war... X-rated photo claims, leaked recordings and a sinister threat: 'I'll never stop' US intel reportedly says Iran's military is FAR from decimated as Israel begins to worry about Trump's deal-making Michelle Obama looks alarmingly thin on Beverly Hills dinner date with Malia and Sasha - as Barack's absence fuels fresh whispers about their marriage Brady Bunch's Eve Plumb reveals cast's shocking residual pay after Lisa Kudrow said Friends stars still get $20m a year from reruns The unassuming apps all cheaters use to hide their affairs: Where to look on your partner's phone to see exactly what they are up to... and the subtle red flags to never ignore I've treated so many cocaine users. This is the one sign that makes it so obvious you have a problem, how it can kill you in a night... and the embarrassing sexual side effect you may not have heard of: DR PHILIPPA KAYE Demi Moore, 63, sparks concern with thinner-than-ever frame at Cannes... amid swirling Ozempic rumors High school student singles out board member who called her'hot' with humiliating takedown Lindsay Lohan, 39, baffles fans with'unrecognizable' appearance at Disney Upfronts event reigniting plastic surgery rumors The'marry me' sex move that'll make even the most commitment-phobic of men beg to see you again... and it worked for THREE of my friends Real-life Pacific Rim! World's first manned transforming robot is unveiled - and it could be yours for $650,000 A Chinese robotics firm has truly bridged the gap between science fiction and reality, after unveiling the world's first manned'mecha'. The GD01, developed by Unitree Robotics, weighs 500kg with a pilot on board and is capable of transitioning between bipedal walking and four-legged mode. Developed for civilian transport, the high-strength alloy machine features a'cockpit' where someone can sit and control the huge robot. A demonstration video shows Unitree's CEO Wang Xingxing climbing into the torso of the GD01 before it starts to move.


The Unitree GD01 Is a Giant Mecha Robot You Can Actually Buy

WIRED

If You Have $650,000 and Don't Buy This Giant Mecha Robot You're a Fool China's Unitree, famous for making low-cost dancing robots, will now sell you a giant, wall-smashing mecha. Unitree is a Chinese company known for making adorable, relatively affordable robots that dance and shuffle and such. Last night, it revealed its latest creation, which is something of a departure: a giant, walking, crawling, transforming, wall-smashing "mecha" called the GD01. An introductory video for the GD01--set to a thundering rock guitar soundtrack--shows the company's founder and CEO, Xingxing Wang, holding hands with the robot before climbing into its prodigious, open-air belly. A disclaimer added to Unitree's social media post reads: "Please everyone be sure to use the robot in a Friendly and Safe manner."

  Country: Asia > China (0.54)

Inside China's robotics revolution

The Guardian

An engineer at the AgiBot factory in Shanghai, China, where the 5,000th mass-produced humanoid robot had rolled off the production line. An engineer at the AgiBot factory in Shanghai, China, where the 5,000th mass-produced humanoid robot had rolled off the production line. How close are we to the sci-fi vision of autonomous humanoid robots? C hen Liang, the founder of Guchi Robotics, an automation company headquartered in Shanghai, is a tall, heavy-set man in his mid-40s with square-rimmed glasses. His everyday manner is calm and understated, but when he is in his element - up close with the technology he builds, or in business meetings discussing the imminent replacement of human workers by robots - he wears an exuberant smile that brings to mind an intern on his first day at his dream job. Guchi makes the machines that install wheels, dashboards and windows for many of the top Chinese car brands, including BYD and Nio. He took the name from the Chinese word, "steadfast intelligence", though the fact that it sounded like an Italian luxury brand was not entirely unwelcome. For the better part of two decades, Chen has tried to solve what, to him, is an engineering problem: how to eliminate - or, in his view, liberate - as many workers in car factories as technologically possible. Late last year, I visited him at Guchi headquarters on the western outskirts of Shanghai. Next to the head office are several warehouses where Guchi's engineers tinker with robots to fit the specifications of their customers. Chen, an engineer by training, founded Guchi in 2019 with the aim of tackling the hardest automation task in the car factory: "final assembly", the last leg of production, when all the composite pieces - the dashboard, windows, wheels and seat cushions - come together. At present, his robots can mount wheels, dashboards and windows on to a car without any human intervention, but 80% of the final assembly, he estimates, has yet to be automated. That is what Chen has set his sights on. As in much of the world, AI has become part of everyday life in China . But what most excites Chinese politicians and industrialists are the strides being made in the field of robotics, which, when combined with advances in AI, could revolutionise the world of work.


This Humanoid Is Ready to Bring You a Toothbrush

WIRED

Fauna, a new startup, is betting that humanoid robots will find success as hospitality workers, research assistants, and entertainers. The newest humanoid robot on the scene, Sprout, is not designed to carry boxes or stack shelves. Instead, this charming and relatively cheap model, roughly the size of a 9-year-old child, is meant to help customers in hotels, shops, and restaurants. "We said, 'What if we could build something lightweight, engaging, and safe to be around, and capable enough to do some exciting things?'" says Robert Cochran, cofounder and CEO of Fauna, the startup behind Sprout. Sprout is available to purchase starting today from $50,000. Cochran adds that his firm is already talking to hotels about using Sprout as a butler that brings toothbrushes and other items to guests in need.


Your First Humanoid Robot Coworker Will Probably Be Chinese

WIRED

What could possibly go wrong? The 4-foot-tall humanoid robot that's in front of me seems, quite honestly, a bit drunk. After 30 seconds or so it abruptly stops, then strides toward me with an arm outstretched. The little robot is at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, on the banks of the Huangpu river in Shanghai. The convention center is teeming with humanoids --dancing ones, box-toting ones, robot dog-walking ones doing circuits around trade show booths. A few lie slumped in a corner as their batteries recharge. A Unitree humanoid robot modified for experimental purposes at the BAAI.


Beyond the Uncanny Valley: A Mixed-Method Investigation of Anthropomorphism in Protective Responses to Robot Abuse

Yang, Fan, Li, Lingyao, Hu, Yaxin, Rodgers, Michael, Ma, Renkai

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Robots with anthropomorphic features are increasingly shaping how humans perceive and morally engage with them. Our research investigates how different levels of anthropomorphism influence protective responses to robot abuse, extending the Computers as Social Actors (CASA) and uncanny valley theories into a moral domain. In an experiment, we invite 201 participants to view videos depicting abuse toward a robot with low (Spider), moderate (Two-Foot), or high (Humanoid) anthropomorphism. To provide a comprehensive analysis, we triangulate three modalities: self-report surveys measuring emotions and uncanniness, physiological data from automated facial expression analysis, and qualitative reflections. Findings indicate that protective responses are not linear. The moderately anthropomorphic Two-Foot robot, rated highest in eeriness and "spine-tingling" sensations consistent with the uncanny valley, elicited the strongest physiological anger expressions. Self-reported anger and guilt are significantly higher for both the Two-Foot and Humanoid robots compared to the Spider. Qualitative findings further reveal that as anthropomorphism increases, moral reasoning shifts from technical assessments of property damage to condemnation of the abuser's character, while governance proposals expand from property law to calls for quasi-animal rights and broader societal responsibility. These results suggest that the uncanny valley does not dampen moral concern but paradoxically heightens protective impulses, offering critical implications for robot design, policy, and future legal frameworks.


The world's first robot games were a clumsy mess

Popular Science

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. This week, China's leading robotics minds gathered in Beijing for a hotly-anticipated, Olympics-style event dubbed the world's first "Humanoid Robot Games." Over the course of just over an hour, an assortment of wobbly, bipedal robots "competed" in soccer, running, and kickboxing. Others danced alongside far more coordinated children, while a handful struggled to play pre-programmed instruments. The entire awkward affair, touted as a showcase of the country's robotics prowess, highlighted how far the industry still has to go to approach anything resembling human-level performance.


5,900 Unitree R1 robot is surprisingly affordable

FOX News

Industries can rethink how work gets done, raising the bar for productivity and workplace safety. Unitree just dropped its latest creation, the R1 humanoid robot, and people are talking. At only 5,900, it's the most affordable bipedal robot we've seen so far. The low price has taken the tech world by surprise and kicked off a wave of excitement. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.

  Country: Asia > China (0.05)
  Industry: Media > News (0.32)

Viral rogue robot sparks new AI safety fears

FOX News

AI investor Arnie Bellini predicted that future battles will be fought by robots and that the U.S.'s cyber and AI capabilities might be able to prevent a war with China before it starts. A jaw-dropping video showing a Unitree H1 humanoid robot flailing violently during a test has captured the internet's attention and sparked a new wave of concern about the safety of advanced robotics. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide -- free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM/NEWSLETTER In the viral clip, the full-sized humanoid robot named DeREX is suspended from a crane inside a factory in China. Surrounded by two handlers, it suddenly starts thrashing its limbs without warning.

  Country: Asia > China (0.79)
  Industry: Media > News (0.32)

Robots square off in world's first humanoid boxing match

Popular Science

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. After decades of being tortured, shoved, kicked, burned, and bludgeoned, robots are finally getting their chance to fight back. This weekend, Chinese robotics maker Unitree says it will livestream the world's first boxing match between two of its humanoid robots. The event, titled Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening, will feature a face-off between two of Unitree's 4.3-foot-tall G1 robots. The robots will reportedly be remotely controlled by human engineers, though they are also expected to demonstrate some autonomous, pre-programmed actions as well.