I saw N types of implementations of embodied intelligence and a trend at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC).
Almost all embodied intelligence enterprises prioritize the "brain" capabilities. In other words, manufacturers have realized that truly practical embodied intelligence products need to be not only physically "durable" but also mentally "resilient."
After a thorough tour of WAIC 2025, the only impression is that every embodied intelligence enterprise is proving: We are not just for show.
On July 26, WAIC 2025 arrived as scheduled, and more than 90 embodied intelligence robots of various forms gathered together. Some showed off their motion control abilities on - site, creating a competitive atmosphere; some found niche jobs, such as making coffee, ice - cream, and sorting items, and quietly got to work; some strolled around the venue to make friends with other robots...
Image source: Embodied Intelligence Research Society
In short, every enterprise showed their best skills, as if telling the audience, "It's worth coming here."
This lively scene is quite a contrast. Last year, there were only about a dozen embodied intelligence enterprises at the WAIC, and most of them only had static displays. From being motionless to putting on a variety of shows, it's only been a year.
Interestingly, a consensus among the enterprises was obvious at the exhibition. Almost all embodied intelligence enterprises prioritize the "brain" capabilities. In other words, manufacturers have realized that truly practical embodied intelligence products need to be not only physically "durable" but also mentally "resilient."
Another consensus is not on the surface of the booths but in the hearts of the exhibitors. When the Embodied Intelligence Research Society communicated with several exhibitors, it was found that the home scenario is still the "end - game" in the minds of all manufacturers, but no one dares to give a clear application scale. "Try" and "explore" have become high - frequency words.
Besides the consensus on the end - game, there are still differences in the ways to reach it. Although the industrial and retail scenarios are intertwined in implementation, each has its own considerations.
In the industrial scenario, continuous, multi - task, and collaborative work are becoming the means for manufacturers to break through; in the retail scenario, the capabilities of the robot's "brain" and "body" are being fully verified, and through implementation at the consumer end, the data flywheel of basic operation capabilities such as moving, grasping, and placing is accelerating.
When manufacturers are debating on "where to apply embodied intelligence first," they are not competing for superiority but jointly exploring the feasibility. All participants are accumulating key momentum for the explosion of the entire industry, and the era of "implementation is king" has begun.
Amazing Skills and Long - Range Operation Wisdom
If you recall the exhibitors at WAIC 2024, many robots were still confined in glass "showcases," and those that could perform dance moves were already advanced products. But at this year's exhibition, the excitement lies in the fact that every robot has a variety of skills, from flashy moves to factory work and retail duty, and the robots are "busy" having a great time.
The exhibition venue can be roughly divided into two types of demonstrations: one is the demonstration of the robot's physical capabilities, and the other is the demonstration of its "brain" intelligence.
In terms of popularity, the "physical capabilities demonstration" is still highly topical. At this conference, the booth of Unitree Technology, which attracted the most audiences, continued the mech competition at WAIC. This demonstration is a concentrated display of the cerebellum and physical capabilities of Unitree robots.
Image source: Embodied Intelligence Research Society
The "crowded" scene not only shows that the physical motion control demonstration is still fresh but also proves the feasibility of Wang Xingxing's words that "the competition itself is an economic scenario."
In addition, many enterprises such as Z - Intelligence, Xingdong Era, and Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center also launched performance projects such as dancing. Among them, the new product Xingdong L7 of Xingdong Era demonstrated a new breakthrough in the motion control capabilities of a "large - sized humanoid." Standing at 170 cm tall, it can rotate 360 degrees and perform smooth hip - hop dances.
Besides dancing, Qianxun Intelligence and Keenon Robotics also demonstrated another type of motion control ability. Moz1 of Qianxun Intelligence demonstrated that its arm can keep a glass of water from spilling while performing random body movements and can make an S - shaped extreme bend; Keenon Robotics demonstrated its two - arm motion control ability through tasks such as mixing drinks and distributing popcorn, accurately picking up cups and pouring drinks.
Besides the demonstration of motion control capabilities, manufacturers have realized the core role of the "brain" in generalized implementation and scenario - specific implementation. Only by breaking through the "brain" constraints and improving generalization can robots truly become a new form of productive force. Many manufacturers prominently demonstrated long - range operations that rely on the "brain" for cognition, reasoning, and planning.
For example, the mahjong - playing robot Xiaoling, which is equipped with the Lingchu Intelligence Psi - R1 model, not only played mahjong with Zhang Yihui, Chen Yuanpei, and Hu Yuhang before the conference but also was ready to play against players at any time at the conference. This tests Lingchu Intelligence's long - range CoAT (Chain of Action Thought) ability in an open environment. The relevant person - in - charge told the Embodied Intelligence Research Society that playing mahjong is a random task that can reflect the robot's real - time perception - decision - making - closed - loop ability.
In addition, robots from Youliqi and FeiXi Technology can learn the whole process of making ice - cream; Aibao of Zhipingfang can learn to play the drums according to sheet music; the robots of Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center can independently complete multi - process delicate operations such as opening the cabinet, pressing the knob, and closing the switch in the electrical control cabinet operation area.
It is worth mentioning that the robots of Independent Variable Robotics achieved truly autonomous work ability at the scene, getting rid of single - point instructions. According to the Embodied Intelligence Research Society, based on the self - developed general embodied large model WALL - A of Independent Variable Robotics, the robot "Xiaoliang" learned to make sachets independently in just a few days. Through the on - site demonstration, it can be seen that "Xiaoliang" is not afraid of complex sound and light environments and can maintain strong anti - interference ability in a highly dynamic and densely - populated area, and can independently pick up sachets and fragrant inner liners of corresponding colors according to the audience's preferences.
The robot "Xiaobai" in the housework sorting area of the Independent Variable Robotics booth can move autonomously in the living - room environment. Without any modeling of the surrounding environment, it can move and operate accurately according to the real - time situation seen by the semantic navigation function and the vision system.
This is rare at the WAIC. The robot completed a whole set of long - sequence complex operations based on the model and truly achieved autonomous perception, decision - making, and high - precision operation in an open and random environment.
Whether it is the demonstration of the physical structure or the operation ability of the "brain," manufacturers are exploring the "limit threshold" of embodied intelligence robots, and are making the robots be used, run, and iterate in various ways, growing while being used.
Industrial and Commercial Scenarios Still in Debate, Consensus on Home as the End - Game
When we ask what jobs these robots will do, whether to enter the factory or the commercial scenario first, the consensus in the industry has become clear at this conference.
On the one hand, we saw that Kepler Robotics launched an 8 - hour continuous live - stream of handling operations; Leju Robotics demonstrated the collaborative operation of two robots on the industrial assembly line; the Tianggong series robots of Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center can complete tasks such as power maintenance, bulb quality inspection, and item packaging; the robot matrix of YouiBot can cover multiple scenarios such as production and transportation.
On the other hand, Galaxy Universal, which plans to expand to 100 unmanned pharmacies by the end of the year, demonstrated the robot's retail duty; Moz1 of Qianxun Intelligence can also stably complete the tasks of fetching and selling drinks; the Zhuoyide Xingzhe 2, which once won the second place in a half - marathon, has become an unmanned retail clerk, shuttling between the storage cabinet and the front desk; the retail stores and front - end warehouses built by Xiaolu Robot, an ecological partner of Reeman, will be connected with more delivery riders.
Image source: Galaxy Universal
With the implementation value shown in both the industrial and commercial scenarios, three views have emerged:
Firstly, the development of the current robot industry has provided the technological foundation and market space for the implementation of these two scenarios. The implementation steps of these scenarios are gradually synchronized, and manufacturers are no longer entangled in which comes first but choose to pursue both.
Secondly, while exploring together, a development path is being planned. For example, while implementing in the commercial scenario, Galaxy Universal is also actively exploring industrial and automotive factory scenarios and performing SPS sorting of auto parts. It is reported that it has currently cooperated with leading automotive companies such as Mercedes - Benz and Geely Zeekr.
Fu Qiang, the product partner of Galaxy Universal, said that the retail scenario is a transitional scenario before robots enter the home scenario. Compared with the industrial scenario, the retail scenario has a lower rhythm intensity, a higher tolerance for errors, and a larger application scale. In other words, retail is an application scenario suitable for the soft - landing of new technologies, which can effectively transition the early - stage development of technologies and ensure the possibility of commercialization through applications such as unmanned pharmacies and front - end warehouses.
Thirdly, some manufacturers focus on a single scenario and go deeper to fully understand the scenario. For example, Moz1 of Qianxun Intelligence can accurately complete all office tasks such as desk tidying, garbage throwing, chair returning, and blackboard cleaning. With the development of its "brain" ability, Moz1 has evolved from just an "executor" to a thinking office assistant.
Although there are various ways of implementation at present, the consensus among manufacturers is that robots must enter every household in the future.
However, there is still no conclusion in the industry as to when the era of robots in every household will come, but the trend is emerging. Under the support of industrial and retail scenarios, the outline of robots in the home scenario has been sketched.
Firstly, the ability to handle flexible objects, such as folding clothes, has been proven feasible by some enterprises. Secondly, the obstacle - avoidance and autonomous navigation abilities are becoming more and more mature, indicating that currently, embodied intelligence robots are expected to handle flexible objects and move smoothly in the home scenario.
It is worth mentioning that Fourier unveiled a new humanoid robot GR - 3. Its soft material, round design, and lively eyes make the product more "warm," far from the coldness of metal robots.
Gu Jie, the CEO of Fourier, told the Embodied Intelligence Research Society that the design concept of this robot is to make humans "want to get close." Only when people are willing to interact with the robot can it be the key to unlocking the health - care scenario. From this perspective, the home scenario may be nurtured by the "warm" and "safe" product concepts and technologies of robots.
When robots calibrate the grasping force in the factory, remember the preferences of regular customers in the retail store, and hand out an ice - cream to a child in front of the booth, the fragments of the home scenario are quietly coming together.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Embodied Intelligence Research Society", author: Peng Kunfang, editor: Lü Xinyi, published by 36Kr with authorization.