Robot Sparks Reactions in Midtown
A robot recently made waves on the streets of New York, surprising many as it paraded through the bustling atmosphere of midtown.
The Koid robot, introduced by Kraneshares to promote their global humanoid and embodied intelligence index ETFs, drew attention as it interacted with the public—snagging hot dogs and casually trying on sneakers. This high-tech creation comes at a price of around $100,000.
Joseph Dube, the marketing director, shared his thoughts on the spectacle: “It’s like seeing your first light bulb or car. People were impressed, others seemed a bit scared. It was a real mix of responses.”
During its stroll, the robot traversed Fifth Avenue, even taking selfies and stopping by a Hoka store to check out some shoes.
Filmmaker Ben Sweeney orchestrated the event, capturing the robot’s interactions on the @newyorkers social media account. The video quickly gained traction, amassing over 100,000 likes, highlighting the mixed feelings of the crowd.
Some reactions were dramatic, with one woman jokingly exclaiming, “To ruin humanity…” Another bystander raised a thought-provoking question about pay disparities between humans and robots.
Despite some concerns, there were optimists in the crowd too. A blind man noted how technology, like this robot, could potentially aid people who can’t have guide dogs for various reasons. One individual even wished the robot could handle chores at home.
Manufactured by the Chinese company Unitree and operated through Stanford’s OpenMind software, Koid can be remotely controlled but is also fully programmable. Dube mentioned that it’s already being utilized in labs and educational settings.
Since launching, the Kraneshares ETF associated with Koid has attracted about $28 million. Dube reflected on the future, suggesting that as robots become commonplace, the novelty might fade. He emphasized the need to capitalize on the current excitement.
Looking ahead, a Morgan Stanley report predicts the humanoid market could feature 1 billion robots by 2050, generating up to $5 trillion in revenue annually. It’s an intriguing thought—where will this technology take us?
