"Literally iterating every week! Sci-fi scenarios are becoming reality at an astonishing pace." This was the overwhelming impression during a recent visit to Shenzhen's humanoid robotics sector.
In a lab at Zhongqing Robotics, a 1.38-meter-tall, 40-kilogram humanoid robot named "Xiaozhong" demonstrated a fluid series of actions: leg sweeps, punches, dancing, clearing 15cm obstacles, and even recovering after a fall.
"'Xiaozhong' dances at such a fast rhythm that even professional dancers would need practice to keep up," said Yao Qiyuan, co-founder of the company.
From learning to mimic human steps just a year ago to effortlessly performing complex maneuvers today – the progress seems almost miraculous. So what's driving this rapid advancement?
"A firm commitment to open-source strategy is key to our continuous evolution. By open-sourcing deployment and training codes, we attract global developers to build the application ecosystem together," Yao explained. "For a single product, we now achieve weekly version iterations, reducing the time from design to first prototype to just about six months."
While open-source provides the foundation, collaboration is the catalyst.
The company operates within Shenzhen's Nanshan District, home to a dynamic "Robotics Valley" cluster. This ecosystem hosts hundreds of robotics companies – including DJI, Ubtech, Narwal, and Pudu – alongside research institutions like the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology.
"Upstairs and downstairs are your supply chain partners; the industrial park itself forms the complete industry chain," said Xie Kaixuan of DJI. "Shenzhen's comprehensive supply network enables rapid prototyping and product development."
At DJI's demo, an embodied AI robot mastered complex Cantonese clay pot rice cooking – autonomously identifying instructions, precisely handling ingredients, controlling heat, and adjusting in real-time.
Xie emphasized that this leap from simple tasks like "wiping plates" to complex cooking stems from continuous algorithm evolution and real-world data feedback.
Gaining such feedback requires diverse application scenarios. While companies explore commercial markets, local governments are actively creating testing grounds.
"After launching new products, robotics companies don't immediately find optimal business models. Commercial opportunities emerge through continuous usage," explained Zhao Bingbing, Head of Longgang District's AI (Robotics) Office. "We've opened 79 government application scenarios – from inspections and policing to firefighting – accelerating robotic iteration through urban management validation."
In March, Longgang District established its specialized AI (Robotics) Office while launching robot 6S stores, theaters, and demonstration streets – clear signals of its ambition to lead this emerging sector.
"We're building a complete robotics ecosystem spanning intelligent software, core components, whole machine integration, and scenario applications," said Xu Hongli, Deputy District Head of Longgang. "Simultaneously, we're drafting safety regulations and industry standards, conducting regular data backups and vulnerability scans to ensure healthy industry development."
