They have run half-marathons, performed backflips, and dazzled crowds with choreographed dance routines. Now, China's humanoid robot industry is setting its sights on a far more humbling frontier: the cluttered, unpredictable world of the average home.
Humanoid machines slowly picked up litter and sorted out bouquets of flowers at a Beijing event on Tuesday, in a demonstration of how robots might eventually be used to complete everyday household tasks.
The event, hosted by Shenzhen-based startup 'X Square Robot', was modest by the standards of an industry that has spent years showcasing robots that can sprint, flip and dance — but it signalled something more significant: a pivot from spectacle to substance.
Wang Qian, chief executive of X Square Robot, was candid about where the technology stands. "The hardware is largely there," he said at the event. "But the brain hasn't caught up."
That gap is becoming increasingly apparent as Chinese companies shift from pre-programmed stage demonstrations to real-world deployment.
While humanoid robots can now complete half-marathons faster than elite athletes, tasks that seem trivial to the average person — tidying a cluttered room, loading a dishwasher, or folding clothes — remain stubbornly difficult for machines.
Wang explained the core technical challenge in stark terms: "Why don't marathon robots face this challenge? Because what they mainly contend with is a constant gravitational field. But when we manipulate things with our hands, if we are off by 0.1 millimetres, the whole task may fail."
To address this, X Square Robot says it has developed an AI model called Wall-B, trained on data collected from more than 100 households, arguing that exposure to messy, real-life conditions — from pets to clutter — is critical to improving performance.
The model is set to be introduced into its home-cleaning robots in late May. The company has already begun testing the concept commercially. Last month, X Square entered a partnership with Chinese services platform 58.com, allowing users in Shenzhen to book a professional human cleaner paired with one of its robots.
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A three-hour shift costs 149 yuan, and the company says its machines have serviced over 50 households so far.
The global market for humanoid robots could be worth $38 billion by 2035, according to Goldman Sachs estimates, with Chinese and American firms leading the race. For now, though, the robots are still learning to do the dishes.
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