One giant leap for humanoid kind

Next strategic focus

Embodied intelligence is seen as a concept or approach, while intelligent robots serve as one of its main application forms. Industrial robots, service robots and other types of robots can be examples of embodied intelligence when they are able to sense their surroundings, make decisions and interact independently.

Humanoid robots are a more advanced form of intelligent robots. Their human-like design is seen as a promising path toward general-purpose embodied intelligence, as they can better adapt to environments designed for people.

According to the Tencent Cloud and Frost& Sullivan paper, the growth of the embodied intelligent robot market will extend far beyond robot manufacturing itself.

"It will drive the development of upstream technologies such as general AI models, perception and decision-making systems, simulation platforms and cloud computing infrastructure, while expanding into downstream applications including industry, logistics and elderly care, creating a broader ecosystem," the paper said.

Zhang Zhengyou, Tencent's chief scientist, said: "The embodied intelligence industry is still in its early stage and has not yet reached large-scale commercial deployment. Leading robot companies, including Dobot Robotics, Unitree Robotics and AgiBot, are continuing to refine their technologies in real-world scenarios."

"Bringing robots into practical applications requires sustained efforts in both systems development and engineering," he added.

Zhang said that from a broader perspective, China is facing a growing aging challenge, while the shortage of younger caregivers is becoming increasingly evident. Elder care could become an important application area for intelligent robots.

"I hope more investment can flow into this sector and support the development of care robots," Zhang added.