GuShiio.com
Wen| Personalized Research Society, author| Lu Xinyi, Editor| Di Xintong
Lei Jun, with Xiaomi, is about to make a big move again. This time, the protagonist is Tie Da, a humanoid robot who has been silent for many years and has not made a public appearance.
Recently, it was reported that Xiaomi held a robot business promotion meeting, and it is expected that there will be important progress and demonstrations in Yizhuang from March to April. Since Tieda appeared at Lei Jun’s annual speech in August 2022, it has rarely appeared in the public eye. Even in 2024, which is known as the first year of humanoid robots, Tiedu has never felt a sense of existence. Whether it is Xiaomi or Lei Jun, most of their energy is devoted to the car-building business.
Photo source: Xiaomi
But silence does not mean that Xiaomi has spared the cake of the humanoid robot.
In 2022, Xiaomi launched Tieda before the release of the Tesla Optimus prototype, and successfully blocked its position on the global humanoid robot track. It became the first Internet company in China to launch a humanoid robot. It was also one of the few in the industry at that time that could create a humanoid robot company.
Just after the first generation of Tieda was released, Xiaomi officials said that the second generation was under development. On June 4, 2024, Beijing Xiaomi Robot Technology Co., Ltd. officially moved to Beijing Yizhuang Xiaomi Automobile Factory. At the relocation ceremony, Xiaomi announced that they are promoting the phased implementation of humanoid robots on their own manufacturing line.
Shunwei Capital, founded by Lei Jun, has already participated in the financing of Yushu Technology many times. According to Tianyan, Shunwei Capital is already the top five shareholders of Yushu Technology. Xiaomi has also become a representative company of integrators in Morgan Stanley’s humanoid robot value map.
Although not in the spotlight, Xiaomi has never left the core circle of humanoid robots. For Xiaomi, the humanoid robot business can not only become its ticket to the next era, but also become a new interactive terminal circulating in mobile phones-Mijia Intelligence-cars. Based on ecological linkage, it can completely reverse the paradigm of life.
For humanoid robots, millet may be needed more. First, Xiaomi’s ability to integrate upstream and downstream industrial chains can be regarded as the chain owner within the industry and promote the improvement of the industrial chain; second, Xiaomi’s large model + Mijia Intelligent Ecosystem provides the industry with C-end implementation infrastructure. If Xiaomi verifies its feasibility, it will also speed up the industry and usher in the final battle for C-end as soon as possible.
Maybe the next time he shows up, Tie Da will say Are U OK?
Imperfect iron and firm determination
Looking back at Tieda from the current technical perspective, its slightly shaky pace and the ability to work without touching the water of spring water make it look neither sexy nor perfect among the robots that can flip forward and screw.
Specifically, the name of Tieda is CyberOne. It is 1.77 meters tall and weighs 52kg. ldquo; The body side is selected to be driven by a motor. The maximum module torque is 300Nm and the peak torque density is 96Nm. The whole body has 21 degrees of freedom and the walking speed is 3.6 km/h, which is equivalent to the speed of human walking. In comparison, Yushu Technology’s G1 basic version has 23 degrees of freedom, and the EDU version has 43 degrees of freedom.
Photo source: Xiaomi
When Tieda made its debut, officials at the scene said that it had just learned to walk, its lower body was not stable yet, and its hands were unable to undertake too complex tasks. At that time, Lei Jun also said that getting the robot to stand upright was the most difficult thing.
On the brain side, Tieda is equipped with a Mi-Sense depth vision module. This module combines AI algorithms to enable Tieda to have complete three-dimensional space perception capabilities and realize functions such as character identification, Gesture Recognition, and expression recognition. In addition, based on Xiaomi’s self-developed MiAl environmental semantic recognition engine and MiAl voice emotion recognition engine, it can realize the recognition of 85 environmental sounds and the recognition of 45 human emotions in 6 categories. It is combined with the curved OLED display module to display interactive information in real time. Based on brain technical support + display module, Tie Da can play a friend and provide comfort to humans when they are lost.
A few months later, Tieda learned new skills to play the drum set. The performance uses MIDI files, Tieda analyzes drum beats, and generates a whole-body trajectory sequence that is synchronized with the music and coordinated with the length of the song. At that time, Xiaomi relevant personnel said that the second-generation Tieda was in the research and development stage and would focus on improving movement and manipulation capabilities; improving degrees of freedom; integrating independently developed dexterous hands; and algorithms to control movement and vision.
At that time, Lei Jun emphasized Xiaomi’s investment and determination in the field of robotics. The AI and mechanical capabilities of Tieda came from the independent development of Xiaomi Robot Laboratory. ldquo; We have invested a lot of R & D funds in multiple areas, including software, hardware and algorithm innovation.& D rdquo; Lei Jun said.
It is worth mentioning that at that time, the atmosphere in the industry was even more chaotic. Humanoid robots did not yet have the consensus on the composition of brain + cerebellum + ontology, and GPT was not yet a popular chicken, so Xiaomi’s iron size was completely through the industry. 0-1 products.
In an orderly industry, adhering to the technical route of full-stack self-research carries Xiaomi’s hope for the future of humanoid robots. We believe that intelligent robots will surely enter people’s lives in the future. Lei Jun said.
In fact, the release of Tieda is only a manifestation of Xiaomi’s determination to enter the game, not a singular moment in the layout. After all, in the face of costs of six to seven hundred thousand yuan, Xiaomi cannot support mass production. Subsequently, perhaps due to technical constraints or perhaps due to the group’s shift in focus, Tieda spent a period of silence after its appearance.
Perhaps a more appropriate statement is that in the technical context at the time, neither Xiaomi nor the industry seemed to need a humanoid robot. Although the future trend and determination to enter the game are both, it is difficult to break through the dimensional wall. It was not until the birth of GPT4 that gave humanoid robots the moment to evolve, that global industries should make a great leap forward, and that Xiaomi should also step into the singularity. It’s time.
Robots need chain owners, Xiaomi meets Tesla again
Compared with its own entry, Xiaomi’s greatest promotion to the humanoid robot industry is to activate the chain-owner effect of supply chain development. This point has been successfully verified as early as in Xiaomi’s ecological chain and Xiaomi’s business logic of car-building. However, on this road, Xiaomi turned around and encountered its old rival Tesla.
In laying out upstream and downstream industries, Xiaomi is more like entering the market as an investment bank, selling nearly 50 related robot manufacturers. Coverage areas include upstream robot technology, core components and complete machine factories. It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi is laying out in the pan-robot field, including sweeping robots, industrial robots, etc., and is not entirely focused on humanoid robots.
Specifically, in June 2023, Xiaomi launched the big model company Xiaomi Zhizao. The latter was founded by Qiao Zhongliang, a former member of Xiaomi’s core founding team, and was responsible for products such as MIUI 9 to MIUI 12; co-founder Wang Wenlin once served as Xiaomi Software. General Manager of the Platform Department, led the development of Xiaomi’s brain and IoT systems.
Xiaoyu Intelligent Manufacturing’s core technology has created a multi-shaped intelligent robot with one brain, which uses high generalization capabilities as the core of the intelligent body, allowing it to control robot bodies in multiple scenarios and in multiple forms. In 2024, Xiaoyu Intelligent Manufacturing and Tangshan Panasonic, a joint venture company of Panasonic, reached a strategic cooperation to apply its multi-brain to intelligent welding robots.
As an invested company, Xiaomi gave Xiaomi Intelligent Manufacturing not only financial support, but also comprehensive initial support. The high intelligence and digitalization characteristics of Xiaomi’s smart factory have become one of Xiaoyu’s primary opportunities for intelligent manufacturing applications.
Through the case of Xiaomi Zhizao, we can see the first significance of Xiaomi ‘s chain owner identity. Based on its own industrial resources, it provides scenario support for invested enterprises and ecological enterprises, and helps enterprises complete the 0-1 transformation as soon as possible, which can promote the overall pace of moving forward in the upstream of the industry.
The same case also occurred in Luoshi Robot. As a invested company, it also became one of the suppliers of Xiaomi SU7.
Photo source: Luoshi Robot
It provides Xiaomi SU7 vehicles with technical support for the intelligent production line of automotive air conditioners, and can also effectively improve production efficiency. In addition, Luoshi Robot has also cooperated with Xiaomi Smart Factory to assist Xiaomi in unmanned black lamp production.
Luoshi Robot also reflects Xiaomi’s deeper chain-owner significance, that is, it can also provide business support after incubation through its own industrial resources. This is not only a relatively stable business line, but also an endorsement of the commercialization of the invested company, which is conducive to the advancement of other business lines.
In addition, based on the business resources provided by Xiaomi, it can also help invested companies scale production, reduce production costs, and further lead players in the same industry through price dimensions.
For Xiaomi itself, deep binding with upstream industries through investment and business can maximize Xiaomi’s initiative in the industry. It is no longer simply subject to the shackles of upstream technology, but uses its own resources to maximize upstream development, in order to establish a collaborative goal of upstream and downstream industries moving forward together and resonating with the same frequency to shorten the development cycle.
Tesla is also taking this road, but unlike Xiaomi’s preference for investment banking, Tesla simply relies on its own brand strength to support the vigorous development of Tesla concept stocks. Its more significance is to Set a benchmark within the industry and establish small-scale, relatively simple group standards to ensure product stability.
It can be seen that both Xiaomi and Tesla are core roles needed by the industry. Only the benchmarking effect can drive the industry as a whole move forward.
“B+C advantages may become a killer
“Chain owners are Xiaomi’s driving significance to the industry and the core cornerstone of its own development. What really allows Xiaomi’s humanoid robot to take the lead in landing and running through the commercial route lies in its application advantages. Unlike all players in the industry, Xiaomi can not only provide B-side factory application scenarios, but also achieve one of the few C-side ecological scenarios.
First of all, from the B-side, whether Xiaomi is a 3C production line or an automobile production line, it is a natural structured scene of humanoid robots landing.
Previously, Xiaomi had released a series of videos “Lei Jun Takes You to See the Automobile Factory”, which showed that the factory deployed more than 700 robots, covering six core workshops: die-casting, body, final assembly, painting, stamping, and battery. Among them, key processes have been 100% automated.
While other humanoid robot manufacturers are still relying on the resources of industrial investors to implement, Xiaomi’s humanoid robot has led the industry by half a position. It can benchmark Tesla’s Optimus Prime and complete the implementation in its own factory. Humanoid robots and factories can achieve a two-way empowerment development trend.
Although Xiaomi has not disclosed the news that humanoid robots have entered the factory to work, the first-mover advantage no longer needs to be said much.
Secondly, compared to the factory orientation, Xiaomi is sexier in the home scene, which is an advantage that Tesla does not have.
First, Xiaomi’s smart home ecosystem has formed a whole home connected, and curtains, lights, air conditioners, etc. can be controlled through an APP. It has already completed silk skating interactions with Xiaomi’s mobile phone or Xiao ‘ai’s classmate.
Second, Xiaomi Automobile tells the story of the third space. It is essentially one of Xiaomi’s terminals and an ecological scene that extends outwards. Based on the loading of car terminals, Xiaomi has multi-dimensional scene linkage between car-home-machine.
Based on the above two points, the role of Xiaomi’s humanoid robot becomes apparent on paper. Tieda is not only a nanny who can do housework, but a housekeeper who can link mobile phones, homes, and cars. The change of roles is not only an improvement in practicality, but also opens up more imagination for the commercial value of humanoid robots in home use.
“The B-side + C-side application scenario advantage may be Xiaomi’s biggest killer. Whether it is the investment layout of pan-robots or Xiaomi Group’s paving the way for the development of humanoid robots, it has become the core barrier for Xiaomi’s initial entry into the market. However, the predictability of the first-mover advantage is narrow. Whether Xiaomi can truly become an indispensable participant in domestic humanoid robots in the future depends on how Xiaomi makes subsequent moves.
