Honor Enters Humanoid Robotics Fray, Claims 4 m/s Speed for AI-Trained Unitree Robot

Honor Signals Humanoid Ambitions, Claims New Speed Milestone with Unitree Robot

Chinese technology firm Honor, primarily known for its smartphones, is venturing into the burgeoning field of robotics, backed by a significant investment in artificial intelligence. The company announced its intention to develop its own robots and recently revealed that its AI algorithms helped a robot from Unitree Robotics achieve a notable speed benchmark.

This move is part of Honor's broader strategy, dubbed the "Honor Alpha plan," which will see the company invest US$10 billion over five years. The goal, as stated by CEO James Li Jian earlier this year, is to transition Honor from a smartphone manufacturer to an "ecosystem company" with a strong focus on AI-powered devices.

At a recent launch event in Shenzhen for its new Honor 400 series handsets, Honor disclosed that its proprietary AI algorithm was used to train a Unitree humanoid robot. The company claims this collaboration enabled the robot to reach a peak running speed of 4 meters per second (approximately 8.95 mph).

Contextualizing Robot Agility

If independently verified, a 4 m/s peak speed would place the Honor-assisted Unitree robot among the fastest humanoid machines. The field has seen rapid advancements in robot locomotion recently. In early 2024, Unitree's own H1 model set a Guinness World Record as the fastest full-size humanoid robot, clocking in at 3.3 m/s (7.38 mph). Shortly thereafter, reports emerged that another Chinese firm, Robotera, saw its STAR1 (or XBot-L) humanoid achieve a speed of 3.6 m/s (8.05 mph).

However, a key benchmark in bipedal robot speed comes from Agility Robotics' Cassie. While Cassie is a bipedal robot without a torso or arms, it holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest 100-meter dash by a bipedal robot, completing it in 24.73 seconds. This translates to an average speed of just over 4.04 m/s. Honor's claim refers to a peak speed, which is different from a sustained average speed over a set distance like Cassie's 100m sprint.

For historical perspective, Boston Dynamics' original hydraulic Atlas, a pioneer in dynamic humanoid robotics, was demonstrated running outdoors at speeds around 1.5 m/s (3.35 mph) back in 2018. The progress since then highlights the accelerating pace of development in robot mobility.

Future in Motion

Honor's entry into robotics, initially through AI-enhancement partnerships, signals growing interest and competition within China's tech sector to establish a foothold in intelligent automation. While the collaboration with Unitree showcases Honor's AI capabilities, the company has also stated its intent to develop its own robots. Details regarding Honor's specific robotics hardware plans or a timeline for their in-house developed machines remain to be seen. The current announcement underscores a strategic move to leverage its AI research in the rapidly evolving world of humanoid robotics.