Too lifelike, robot IRON had its skin 'cut' to prove it

IRON's skin is cut to prove it is a robot. ( Video : Xpeng)

Chinese electric car company Xpeng has caused a stir on social media after its new humanoid robot performed so realistically that many people thought it was a real person in costume.

Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng opened the robot's skin to prove there was no human inside, after the robot's natural movements caused a stir online.

Robot skin is cut right on the introduction stage. (Photo: Xpeng)

He shared on Weibo that Xpeng's robot team was "so excited they couldn't sleep" after the new product launch. After months of preparation, they did not expect the performance to go viral and become an unexpected "media storm".

Two hashtags about Xpeng's robot quickly climbed to the top of Douyin (China's version of TikTok). After the company posted the video, its stock also rebounded 1.4%, reversing an earlier 2% drop.

In the video, the robot, named Iron, takes a few steps before an engineer opens the “artificial skin” to reveal the mechanical parts inside. Mr. He Xiaopeng said that the sound of the cooling system and fans can be clearly heard, proving that this is a machine and not a human.

The robot still walks after revealing its mechanical design under its artificial skin. (Photo: Xpeng)

The incident shows that humanoid robot technology in China has come a long way, and at the same time the line between humans and machines is becoming increasingly blurred.

Iron is an upgraded version of the robot launched last year, operating on the AI VLA 2.0 model (Vision-Language-Action). This model helps the robot see and understand the environment directly instead of going through the language conversion step, thereby increasing the response speed and reducing errors.

Xpeng describes Iron as having an “artificial spine, bionic muscles, and flexible skin.” With 82 moving joints, the robot can dance, catwalk, and perform many complex movements. Iron’s arms use micro-articulated joints, allowing for natural movement at full size.

Mr. He Xiaopeng - founder of Xpeng introduces the Iron robot. (Photo: scmp)

Xpeng has already secured its first customer, China’s largest steel group Baosteel, which is expected to use the robot in complex industrial environments.

Iron comes in two versions: Male and Female, with the female version being more compact but more difficult to build due to space constraints.

The launch comes amid a boom in China's humanoid robot industry.

According to data from the China Robot Industry Development Conference in Shanghai, industry-wide revenue increased by nearly 30% in the first three quarters of this year.

Manh Hung (Source: scmp, Xpeng)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/qua-giong-nguoi-that-robot-iron-bi-cat-da-de-chung-minh-ar986182.html