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China already leads the way in the development of electric vehicles, now it is intent on reaching the forefront of battery-powered humanoids.
Tesla has seized the initiative to produce the robots, which are earmarked to replace human workers on the EV production lines eventually, but Elon Musk should be looking over his shoulder.
This week in Beijing, the World Robot Conference was the platform for over 20 Chinese companies to showcase their robot machines, specifically developed for manual tasks in factories and warehouses.
At the same event, other creators displayed specialized parts required to build the robots.
China’s drive toward another area of development mirrors the approach taken on EVs more than a decade ago. It comprised government backing, many enterprises driving innovation and price competition, and an extensive supply chain.
Many of the suppliers that thrived in the rise of the EV market, were represented once again at the event in Beijing. China’s robot ambitions are supported at the very top, with President Xi Jinping’s “new productive forces” policy evident at the conference this week.
In addition, the city of Beijing commenced a $1.4 billion funding program for robotics in January this year, followed by a similar initiative in Shanghai announced last month.
Tesla’s Influence on Chinese Tech Growth
Just like it did with EVs, Tesla has heavily influenced Chinese gains in technology and the acceleration of development. Chinese execs remarked on the opening of the firm’s Shanghai factory in 2019 that it would have a “catfish effect” on local industry – the introduction of a larger external force would compel Chinese interests to swim faster.
Tesla’s Optimus robot, first introduced in 2021, has had a similar impact. It was on display at the industry conference in Beijing with a sign next to the machine exclaiming, “Next year there will be more than 1,000 of my compatriots in the factory,”.
Elon Musk has regularly provided commentary on the progress of Optimus on X, like in January when he explained how the robot can fold a shirt and will soon be able to perform the task autonomously.
This was Optimus not long ago pic.twitter.com/nqlXuSYCkQ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2024
The X chief also stated last month “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”
