Making better robots depends on better data capture, Chinese firm 51World says

Chinese tech company 51World has unveiled a suite of data-collection devices and platforms to address the shortage of high-quality training data for developing intelligent humanoid robots. The founder and CEO, Li Yi, highlighted that a major hurdle in the industry is the lack of high-precision data required for robots to operate stably and reliably.

AperEgo, a new headset developed by the company, captures a panoramic view of surroundings with multi-camera systems along with sensors that synchronize visual, motion, and audio inputs. Its hardware suite also includes devices for wrists and fingers to better understand hand movements. The data collected by AperEgo is processed through 51World's AperOS platform, which filters out invalid data before uploading for further analysis, helping to reduce data storage and computing costs.

By integrating hardware and software, 51World aims to push precision up to 99%. The company anticipates significant growth in China's humanoid robot market, reaching 15 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion) by 2026, with a goal of powering nearly 1,000 embodied AI-equipped robots with its platform by the end of the year. The Chinese government's support for deploying humanoid robots and embodied AI in real-world environments, combined with a plan to boost high-quality AI training data, aligns with 51World's expansion into this field.

The company's decade of experience in synthetic data and simulation platforms for autonomous driving, similar to how data is collected and shared by all drivers while driving cars, could pave the way for breakthroughs in the industry.