China's Hesai launches spatial camera to boost AI-powered robotics adoption
SHANGHAI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Hesai Group 2525.HK, a leading Chinese autonomous driving technology firm, on Wednesday unveiled a three-dimensional mapping camera, targeting demand for physical spatial data needed to train the AI systems powering humanoid robots.
The company introduced "Kosmo," a device resembling a wine bottle, that combines lidar sensors and cameras to help developers collect real-world spatial data more efficiently.
There is a significant gap in high-quality spatial data needed to train AI-powered robots to understand and interact with the real world and perform complex tasks beyond waving arms or dancing, Hesai co-founder and CEO David Li said at a launch event at the company's Shanghai factory.
Li said robots remain limited in their ability to solve real productivity challenges.
Most robots are still confined to low-impact functions like greeting guests, waving or dancing, he said.
"What we aim to offer is essentially a platform for the underlying technologies required by the robotics industry, positioning Hesai as a tier 1 supplier comparable to Bosch in the automotive sector, or perhaps even beyond," Li said.
He declined to provide revenue projections for Kosmo but said the firm has signed agreements with Chinese robotics firms to use the product.
Hesai has also been developing robot actuators, which convert electricity into mechanical motion and account for more than half of a robot's material costs, Li said. Demand is growing for actuators that are lighter, smaller and more precise, allowing robots to become more safe and agile, he added.
The actuators are already being used by Sharpa Robotics, a startup founded by Hesai's co-founders, in its flagship robotic hand, Sharpa Wave.
A Sharpa Wave robot has been autonomously serving ice cream at a Dairy Queen outlet in Shanghai. Hesai said Kosmo's detailed mapping technology helped the robot achieve a task success rate of 99%.
Sharpa Robotics, which recently raised more than 4.5 billion yuan ($672.4 million) in a funding round, operates independently of Hesai, but provides a testing ground for the company's robotics technologies.
In automotive markets, Hesai has become the world's largest lidar supplier for autonomous vehicles over the past three years, driving the cost of the technology below $200 per unit. Its customers include Mercedes-Benz MBGn.DE, Volkswagen VOWG.DE, General Motors GM.N and Ford Motor F.N.
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