Making better robots depends on better data capture, Chinese firm 51World says
New devices and platforms to obtain real-world data for embodied AI can break the biggest hurdle to creating more capable robots, CEO says
The race to develop intelligent humanoid robots faces a major roadblock in a severe shortage of high-quality training data, but Beijing-based tech company 51World believes it has the tools to break the bottleneck.
Best known for its digital twin and simulation technology, 51 World on Tuesday unveiled a new suite of data-collection devices and platforms designed to help train embodied AI systems – artificial intelligence models that help machines perceive, reason and interact with the physical world.
The lack of high-precision data was one of the biggest hurdles facing the embodied AI industry as it rushed to build robots that could operate with stability and certainty, said Li Yi, 51World’s founder and CEO, at a launch event in Shenzhen on Tuesday.
The company aims to boost the collection of such data with AperEgo, a headset that has a multi-camera system to capture a panoramic view of the surroundings as well as sensors that synchronise visual, motion and audio inputs with high accuracy. Its hardware suite also includes devices for the wrist and fingers to better understand how hands work.