from manufacturing cars to 1,000 police robots that are, really, a seed of the future

Today has been a completely different day from the others. Because frankly, the last thing I expected to see at a car show was a nearly three-hour presentation on a humanoid police robotbut here we are. The robot, however, is the least important thing, as we will see later.

The clues that the robot would play a leading role were there, to be honest. After all, this same humanoid robot was on display at the Chery stand during the Beijing Motor Showbut of course, from seeing a robot displayed on a stand to understanding its purpose there is one step.

Anyway, let’s go in parts. Just a few days ago, on April 17, Chery Group announced an agreement with AiMOGA Robotics to turn robotics into its new avenue for growth. The idea is simple: AiMOGA puts the expertise in robotics and Chery puts the manufacturing capacity, its experience with cars and the savoir faire in the international arena.

In April of last year, AiMOGA managed to ship the first 220 robots to more than 30 countries. These robots have their own name, by the way: Mornine M1. Today we have witnessed the signing of a commitment by different Chinese cities to deploy 1,000, which says a lot about how clear the government (which was present) is that there is a new field to dominate here.

These robots are, let’s say, oriented to specific scenarios. Mornine is not a robot designed to make us a French omelet on a Tuesday night, but to control traffic, help with health care, etc. For now, at least.

If anyone is interested, they can buy their own Morine M1 robot at JD, the Chinese Amazon. Its price is 285,800 yuan, around 40,000 euros. If that seems like a lot of money to you, another option is his companion, the Argos robotic dog, which costs 15,800 yuan (around 2,000 euros at the exchange rate).

What is the robot like? It is a humanoid that is found at the most extreme point of the uncanny valley. The robot, feminine in appearance, is 1.67 cm tall, weighs 70 kilos, is capable of walking at one meter per second, pivoting 40 degrees and carrying up to 1.5 kilos of weight. It talks, sees (LiDAR, cameras and ultrasonic radar), moves its arms and has a goal: work.

Mornine, as I said, has been developed with specific scenarios in mind. The most obvious is that of assistant and we have the clearest proof of it in the train stations and shopping centers of Wuhu, where it is already officially present. Today Chery has gone a step further, signing a commitment with several Chinese cities to deploy 1,000 robots on the roads.

Because yes, Mornine is going to work as a traffic officer. As explained by Chery, Mornine will be able to detect violations, apply and explain the lawmanage vehicle flows, interact with drivers, etc. In fact, in a presentation they have suggested that it could be integrated with government systems to, for example, record violations as soon as they are detected.

On paper and in the sample videos it sounds great, but honestly, I would like to see this robot in the middle of one of the main arteries of Beijing talking and interacting with the helmetless motorcyclists, the drivers who cross paths and the general chaos that prevails on Chinese roads.

Beyond warning, the robot has no punitive capacity (or does not seem to have it), so it will be necessary to see if its practical application goes beyond the anecdotal.

In any case, there is something poetic about seeing human police officers stand next to these robots, which are dressed alike and mounted on a mobile base. Chery maintains that they seek to offer an alternative to professions for which there are no candidates, such as the aforementioned traffic agents, but what I see is different. It’s a robot taking a first step that, in 20 or 30 years, we will remember as the germ of something bigger.

Because in this robot, whose movements are orthopedic and depend on a human operator to control them, I see something else. I see a China preparing for the future. I see a country that already anticipated the electric car and is now doing so with robotics.

A country with 5,000 years of history has all the patience in the world. Domestic robots will not reach society today, tomorrow or the next day. They probably won’t do it in this decade, but they will. Sooner or later, and being aware that this is a very techno-optimistic thought, domestic robotics will be a reality, and when it is, While the rest of the world takes its first steps, China will already know how to run. Literally.

Xpeng is another local brand that has made its first steps in robotics, like Unitree or AgiBot. Tesla, with his Optimus, too. In fact, Chery has put Elon Musk and his goals with Optimus as an example to follow and beat. Hyundai, Honda have robotics projects. But China has something that the others don’t: total and absolute control of the supply chain.

China is winning the electric car racethat is no secret, and it is sowing the seeds of victory for robotics. Today they are crude, somewhat clumsy designs, but a country that was able to invest 2,000 years and several dynasties in building a wall is in no hurry. They have all the time in the world to improve their robots, and not only that, but they are fast at iterating.

They are very patient, but they also react in the moment. They are slow and fast at the same time. That is something that is anchored in the depths of this society.

Are the 1,000 robots that are going to be deployed on Chinese roads the best robot in history? No, but there they are, deployed, working, collecting data that will help make V2 better. And when V2 is ready, it will take the field to make V3 better. Patience and speedpatience and speed, it all comes down to that.

That’s why when I see a demo of a human-machine interface in which an operator controls the robot with his thoughts, I can’t help but think about its potential. Because today it is a robot that tells a car to stop in a clumsy and unhuman way, but tomorrow it can be a help for elderly or dependent people.

As the operator explains to me, they can currently only do eight actions, mainly walking. But that’s the key: “currently.” The question is what they will be able to do in five, ten or fifteen years.. Understanding that, understanding that China is not thinking about the now, but about the future, is essential to understanding what is to come.

What the context gives us to understand is that robotics will reach homes. Sooner or later, we will remember the robot vacuum cleaners that amaze us today as we remember the Game Boy.

When that moment arrives, there will be a country that will already have its proposal ready and refined, and that, as has happened with the electric car, will make a difference in the market. At the Beijing Motor Show we saw the car of the future. Here we have seen a small glimpse of the society that apparently awaits us. A society that, for better and worse, seems to be “Made in China.”

On the other hand, today I was able to get into a Luxeed (Chery’s premium car) with a autonomous driving level 3. It has been quite an experience to see him navigate the roads of Wuhu almost without problems in a real environment.

Believe me when I tell you that Chinese roads are a true chaos of beeps and maneuvers that make your blood run cold, and the car went as if nothing had happened. In fact, there have been moments in which he has put his nose in like a champion to get into the lane.

Beyond the performance, which seemed good to me, the most interesting thing is that the software was HarmonyOS. Yes, Huawei’s operating system. Same as the sound, which was Huawei Sound. I already knew that Huawei was a huge giant in China, but seeing it firsthand has been very striking. I wonder what would have happened to this company in Europe if the US blockade had not taken place.

Tomorrow more, for the last time.

Previous deliveries:

1. Journey to the center of the Chinese motor (part 1): a walk through Beijing, Ebro, Chery and the silent streets
2. Journey to the center of the Chinese motor (part 2): I have seen the future of cars in Beijing and yes, it is electric (and very cool)
3. Journey to the center of the Chinese motor (part 3): discovering the largest railway network in the world at 347 km/h
4. Journey to the center of the Chinese engine (part 4): we attend a crash test and discover the new (and first) Ebro full electric

Images | Xataka