Humanoids didn't make it: high-profile debut of 'world's best' robots derailed in Germany
A presentation was being prepared in Munich that was supposed to be a "manifesto of German engineering" in the age of AI - but instead of a tech show, it turned out to be an anecdote. David Reger, head of startup Neura Robotics, promised to show the public "the best humanoid robot on the planet." Alas, the robot wasn't ready ... and not because he'd forgotten the text - he was just stuck somewhere on the motorway.
Despite this, Regehr took to the stage like a true showman, effectively ripped the black cloth off the 4NE1 robot mock-up and added: "We're going to have to make this a little less spectacular." The robot remained motionless and the audience was left with questions.
4NE1 is a prototype humanoid robot with seven cameras, lidar and "live" arms, according to its creator. However, there is no AI in it yet, like most similar projects. In fact, a body without a brain was brought on stage - a classic genre in the world of robotics presentations.
Reger said that the engineers were fiddling with the last refinements until the morning, so the technique "did not have time to get there". A company spokesperson later added: an unexpected road closure was to blame. Well, that sounds futuristic.
At the event, they showed some simpler, already working robots and announced partnerships with Hyundai in the fields of welding and shipbuilding. The price of a single 4NE1 is around €50,000 and sales in the industrial sector are planned for as early as this year. Requests from customers are allegedly in, but "there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure everyone wants robots," admits Reger.
While the US and China compete in the number and functionality of robots, Europe, according to Accenture and Mario Draghi's report, remains a producer but not an adopter: almost half of service robots are produced in the EU, but only 15 per cent are used.
Source: Bloomberg
