It’s a holiday in the US today and markets are closed but it’s also a holiday in China as lunar new year celebrations back up.
The most-watched TV show in China annually is the CCTV Spring Festival gala and in the past few years, it’s turned into a demostration of the cutting edge of humanoid robotics.
This year’s edition is live right now and what I’ve seen so far is impressive. It’s another leap forward from last year’s edition, which went viral at the time. The martial arts showcased robots operating at at least an elite human level with swords and nunchucks and all kinds of other scenarios, including them jumping off springloaded boards.
As far as I could see it was flawless. There was even one part where a robot falls over and it looks like the performers are coming over pick him up and then the machine spins and jumps to its feet — all part of the act.
Other acts showed humor and a variety of interactions with robots.
The performances did appear to be live but you never really know as there weren’t many wide shots.
In any case, China is winning this race and it’s clear where it’s headed. These robots are doing pretend fighting but it won’t be long before they do real fighting — and not with swords and staffs.
The companies behind the featured robots were Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab. Notably, Unitree is preparing for an IPO this year in what will surely be one of the biggest domestic IPOs ever.
Reuters notes that President Xi has met with five robotics startup founders this year compared to four in electric vehicles and four in semi-conductors in the same timeframe.
In terms of US markets, I just can’t see how Tesla has the valuation it does. The automotive side of the company is failing as sales slump precipitously and robotaxi — even if successful — just isn’t that big of a market.
In robotics, Optimus isn’t even a working demo while China has the ability to build these machines at unprecedented scale.
