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Chinese Workers Are Controlling Humanoid Robots With VR
Shelving unit // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
A tech startup in Shenzhen, China, has become a hub for workers teleoperating humanoid robots across the region.
Why It Hits: There are plenty of startups trying to put autonomous robots into homes à la The Jetsons — but the technology really isn’t there yet. What these robotics, AI, and VR systems are currently good enough for is enabling people to control humanoids at scale. As they roll out more widely, the debate between convenience and privacy will likely reach a fever pitch.
Behind The Bots: Wired visited the offices of IO-AI Tech, where employees were physically present but doing their work somewhere else.
Workers use VR headsets, handheld controllers, and other motion-tracking equipment to pilot robots from a variety of manufacturers.
The company’s system allows workers to take over many different types of robots while giving the machines enough autonomy to stay upright on their own.
Remote workers then use the robots to wash dishes and fold laundry in private homes, stock products at convenience stores, and operate equipment in warehouses.
Final Task: While IO-AI is focused on hiring humans for now, there’s an expiration date. That’s because these robotic workers are also collecting training data every time they step into a robot. The goal is for these systems to gather enough real-world experience to build models that can eventually power the robots fully autonomously.
Right now, the human is simply the literal middleman.
The Future: Until the full Jetsons future materializes, robot teleoperation may be the most cutting-edge form of blue-collar work.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.