At Ex-Robot’s factory in the northeastern coastal city of Dalian, engineers are developing humanoid robots with a focus on enhancing facial expressions and emotions.
Neck-length silicone masks are spread out on a table next to silicone arms and legs, while disembodied heads are on display and humanoid robots in various stages of construction stand nearby. Blueprints for the robots decorate the walls.
“We have our own software and algorithm team,” said ExRobot CEO Li Boyang, adding that humanoid robots are among the most complex robotic products.
“There are a lot of basic models and algorithms that are open source and commonly available. But we’re focused on how to enable AI to recognize and express facial expressions and emotions.”
When Ex-Robots workers move their heads, smile or stick out their tongues, the humanoid robot mimics those movements thanks to small motors placed in several spaces in its head.
“We are also working on the foundational model. The model we are building is multimodal and capable of expressing emotions. It can recognize the surrounding environment and give appropriate facial feedback,” Lee said.
Ex-Robots said it takes two weeks to a month to build a humanoid robot, with prices ranging from 1.5 million yuan ($207,000) to 2 million yuan.
The main purpose of the company’s robots for now is as museum exhibits, and one of them is housed in the same building as Ex-Robots’ factory.
In the future, Li believes humanoid robots will play a bigger role in the medical and educational industries.
“Psychological counselling and health are definitely future application scenarios. We are currently conducting related research such as auxiliary treatment and preliminary screening for emotional and psychological disorders,” he said.
“Furthermore, we believe that emotional interaction can be applied in a broader range of fields, such as child-serving.”
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