HANGZHOU, March 14 (Xinhua) — In a mesmerizing display at a recent show in Hangzhou, eastern China’s leading tech hub, dozens of humanoid robotics twisted and twirled in perfect sync, their joints clattering to the rhythm of joyful music as they captivated the audience and drew waves cheers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi).

HANGZHOU. March 14, (Xinhua). In a mesmerizing show at a recent tech show in Hangzhou, east China’s leading hub, a dozen robots twisted in perfect harmony, their joints clattering in time to joyful music, as they captivated and drew cheers from the audience.

This spectacle reflects an increasing trend where businesses and individuals are renting humanoid robotics for livestreams, exhibitions and performances to grab the public’s attention.

These robotics robots became famous earlier this year, when a fleet of Unitree, a Chinese startup, mesmerized the audience with a synchronized dancing in colorful jackets during the Spring Festival Gala. This was one of China’s top-viewed broadcasts. The robot craze and the overwhelming public attention has made them a highly sought-after rental commodity. Gao Lai has been in the robot rental industry for more than a decade. His company provided robots to the show in Hangzhou (the capital of Zhejiang province).

“The daily rental price for a humanoid robot ranges from 8,000 to 15,000 yuan (about 1,115 to 2,091 U.S. dollars). With the booming demand, we anticipate our earnings to rise by 80 percent this year,” Gao added.

Unitree’s H1 model is priced at 650,000 yuan for the G1 model. Industry insiders told Xinhua the growing demand for robotics at business events, exhibitions, and shows is driving the growth of the robot rental industry, which has great potential.

On Xianyu – one of China’s biggest second-hand goods platforms – renting a Unitree Robot can cost thousands of yuan. This includes transportation, machine adjustment and on-site assistance.

In Hangzhou’s Yuhang District where the recent robot show took place, local officials plan to rent robots and host more robot shows in rural areas. Zhang Jingcan is a district official.

“The concept of humanoid robots is nothing new. Since the first one was developed in Japan in the 1960s, they’ve been a focal point of global competition,” Xiong Rong is a professor of Zhejiang University, and the head of Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.

“Powered by AI, our robots are making progress faster than I anticipated,” Wang Xingxing is the CEO of Unitree Robotics. There are still some uncertainties when it comes to applying humanoid robotics in more complex scenarios, such as at home or in business, that require more flexible and varied human-robot interaction. Wang. “However, home-use models might see slower adoption due to higher security requirement.”

Xiong stressed the importance of security for robot applications. “Only by ensuring the safety of human-robot interactions, the robot itself, and the data can we achieve large-scale production.”

Many insiders in the industry agree that the ultimate aim for humanoid robotics is to evolve to general-purpose robots, capable of adapting themselves to diverse environments and performing a variety of tasks without relying upon specific sites or tools. This goal will be achieved by combining the efforts of academia and industry to advance AI, high-end production, and new materials.

Due to the surging demand for humanoid robotics and the continuous innovation, China is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, capturing a significant portion of the global market.

A report on the humanoid robotic industry, released at the 2024 World AI Conference held in Shanghai, estimated that China’s humanoid market was 2.76 billion yuan. By 2029, the market is expected to reach 75 million yuan and represent 32,7 percent of the global total. #