Company Aims to Produce Thousands of Humanoid Robots in 2021
2021-02-04
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021.
2Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year.
3One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way.
4The company's founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans.
5"The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe."
6He noted that in the past, many of the company's robots were built by hand.
7But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations.
8Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating "many other kinds" of models.
9While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell "thousands" of robots by the end of 2021.
10The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field.
11For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people.
12Such "social robots" are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI).
13They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities.
14The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time.
15During a demonstration at the company's lab, one of the Sophia models identified some of the activities it could assist humans with.
16"Social robots like me can help take care of the sick or elderly in many kinds of healthcare and medical uses."
17Hanson said he believes robotic solutions to the pandemic are not limited to healthcare.
18He said the company's robots are so human-like, they could also serve the public in retail settings or in the airline industry.
19The humanoids "can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated," Hanson said.
20"I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations."
21Johan Hoorn is a social robotics professor at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University.
22His research has included work on Sophia.
23He said that, although the technology is still developing, the pandemic could speed up relationships between robots and humans.
24"I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots earlier in the market because people (will) start to realize that there is no other way," Hoorn said.
25Products from other major developers in the industry are helping fight the pandemic as well.
26SoftBank Robotics' humanoid robot Pepper was deployed in Europe to identify people who were not wearing face coverings.
27In China, robotics company CloudMinds helped set up a robot-run field hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan.
28The use of robots was already on the rise before the pandemic.
29The International Federation of Robotics said in a report last year that worldwide sales of professional-service robots had jumped 32 percent between 2018 and 2019.
30I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021. 2Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year. One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way. 3The company's founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans. "The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe." 4He noted that in the past, many of the company's robots were built by hand. But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations. 5Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating "many other kinds" of models. While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell "thousands" of robots by the end of 2021. 6The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field. For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people. 7Such "social robots" are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI). They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities. The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time. 8During a demonstration at the company's lab, one of the Sophia models identified some of the activities it could assist humans with. 9"Social robots like me can help take care of the sick or elderly in many kinds of healthcare and medical uses." 10Hanson said he believes robotic solutions to the pandemic are not limited to healthcare. He said the company's robots are so human-like, they could also serve the public in retail settings or in the airline industry. 11The humanoids "can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated," Hanson said. 12"I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations." 13Johan Hoorn is a social robotics professor at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University. His research has included work on Sophia. He said that, although the technology is still developing, the pandemic could speed up relationships between robots and humans. 14"I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots earlier in the market because people (will) start to realize that there is no other way," Hoorn said. 15Products from other major developers in the industry are helping fight the pandemic as well. SoftBank Robotics' humanoid robot Pepper was deployed in Europe to identify people who were not wearing face coverings. In China, robotics company CloudMinds helped set up a robot-run field hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. 16The use of robots was already on the rise before the pandemic. The International Federation of Robotics said in a report last year that worldwide sales of professional-service robots had jumped 32 percent between 2018 and 2019. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 19We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 20_______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22engage - v. to get and keep someone's attention, interest, etc. 23automate - v. to use machines and computers instead of people to do work 24artificial intelligence - n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior 25retail - n. the activity of selling products to the public in shops and on the internet 26sensor - n. 27isolate - v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others 28therapy - n. treatment for a physical or psychological condition 29stimulation - n. the act of making some feel interested and excited 30infer - v. to guess that something is true because of information that you have