Robots Highlight the World Robot Exhibition

A Taichi player plays Taichi with a robot at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 24, 2015. The World Robot Conference, which kicked off on Nov. 23, will last until Nov. 25. [Photo: Xinhua]

Humanoid robots that can perform feats such as gauging a human's mood highlight the World Robot Exhibition at the World Robot Conference 2015 in Beijing on Tuesday.

Experts, International organizations and more than 120 companies in the field have gathered at the conference.

Humanoid robot Xiaoluo, made by domestic company Tami Intelligence, is famous for interacting with people and has even hosted galas on television.

Liu Boyi, the product manager of Tami Intelligence, introduces their robot.

"The robot has plenty of facial expressions, and the screen installed in its eyes can give people a good feeling of interaction. And (it can) follow the human body, which means it can imitate (your gestures when) when you are in front of it. Most importantly, it can recognize if you are a man or a woman, and tell your age and whether you are happy, and the degree of your happiness. It knows all of that."

Even though many robotics companies are seeking ways to reduce human labour, conference visitor Miao Jun doubts that will ever happen.

"Robots can never fully replace human labour. For example, from the old days, when each worker had a single sewing machine in textile mills, to nowadays when one worker has ten sewing machines, only people can control these machines. Artificial intelligence has its limitations, and cannot take the place of human beings, but rather, it can reduce people's repetitive labour."

Android Genminoid F is created by Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory at Osaka University.

The life-like female robot has stolen the spotlight of the exhibition.

Visitors crowd around to take photographs and talk to her.

Assistant Professor of Osaka University Kohei Ogawa is one of the robot's creators.

He says despite the robot's physical features and capabilities, it's still a work in progress.

"Our final goal is creating some AI system out of showing intelligence by using this robot. But still it's difficult, for example, voice recognition system doesn't work, especially in this kind of noisy environment. So that's why practically this robot is useful for tele-operated medium. But in the future, of course we are gonna create some perfect AI system by using this robot. To know the humans, to create the humans, the both."

The exhibition also shows trends for future technological development, making it a good place for investors to go for business opportunities.

Gao Runlong is an investor in the tech sector. The 37-year-old holds high expectations for Chinese robots and the future of the industry.

"Robotics will be more popular gradually, then robots can largely take place of human labour in families and business. So in the future world, there will be great changes in terms of intelligent manufacturing and robots. Let's wait and see."

Apart from the exhibition, the three-day conference also includes a forum and a robotics contest.