Hugo Award Recipient Liu Cixin Comments on Increasing Presence of Humanoid Robots
Despite their significant potential for practical advantages, humanoid robots may disrupt human society as technology evolves, according to Liu Cixin, renowned science fiction writer and Hugo Award-winning author, prior to the world's first...
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Despite their significant potential for practical advantages, humanoid robots may disrupt human society as technology evolves, according to Liu Cixin, renowned science fiction writer and Hugo Award-winning author, prior to the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon that commenced in Beijing on Saturday.
Stay tuned for our exclusive live coverage with CN reporters on the scene, bringing you the action from start to finish.
Stretching over 21 kilometers, the half-marathon will challenge participating bipedal robots to perform around 250,000 precise joint movements. This event represents a noteworthy milestone in the fields of embodied AI and humanoid robotics.
Liu, famous for his science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem," shared with China Media Group in an interview before the race that he believes this event will enhance public understanding of the capabilities of humanoid robots. He also emphasized the significant market potential for robots that have practical uses, such as caring for the elderly and patients or handling household tasks.
"I think the robot marathon is more of a showcase. The robots demonstrate their ability to move in a stable, balanced way while running, similar to those performing traditional Yangge dances at this year's Spring Festival Gala, which showed the public what robots are capable of today. Their physical form is also practical," he stated.
"For example, robots that can assist the elderly or care for patients have huge market potential. Household robots that can handle chores are also extremely useful. Of course, robots haven't reached that level yet. But once they do, the market will be enormous, and the impact on daily life will be profound," Liu added.
Nonetheless, Liu cautioned that a revolutionary breakthrough leading to the creation of robots indistinguishable from humans could have a deeply disruptive effect on society—one that is difficult to fathom even in the realm of science fiction.
"The ultimate goal of developing embodied robots may be to create machines that are indistinguishable from humans. Once that technology is realized, its impact on society could be truly disruptive. If we can no longer tell a robot from a human – whether by intelligence or appearance – the consequences would be hard to imagine, even in science fiction novels," he remarked.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Stay tuned for our exclusive live coverage with CN reporters on the scene, bringing you the action from start to finish.
Stretching over 21 kilometers, the half-marathon will challenge participating bipedal robots to perform around 250,000 precise joint movements. This event represents a noteworthy milestone in the fields of embodied AI and humanoid robotics.
Liu, famous for his science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem," shared with China Media Group in an interview before the race that he believes this event will enhance public understanding of the capabilities of humanoid robots. He also emphasized the significant market potential for robots that have practical uses, such as caring for the elderly and patients or handling household tasks.
"I think the robot marathon is more of a showcase. The robots demonstrate their ability to move in a stable, balanced way while running, similar to those performing traditional Yangge dances at this year's Spring Festival Gala, which showed the public what robots are capable of today. Their physical form is also practical," he stated.
"For example, robots that can assist the elderly or care for patients have huge market potential. Household robots that can handle chores are also extremely useful. Of course, robots haven't reached that level yet. But once they do, the market will be enormous, and the impact on daily life will be profound," Liu added.
Nonetheless, Liu cautioned that a revolutionary breakthrough leading to the creation of robots indistinguishable from humans could have a deeply disruptive effect on society—one that is difficult to fathom even in the realm of science fiction.
"The ultimate goal of developing embodied robots may be to create machines that are indistinguishable from humans. Once that technology is realized, its impact on society could be truly disruptive. If we can no longer tell a robot from a human – whether by intelligence or appearance – the consequences would be hard to imagine, even in science fiction novels," he remarked.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
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