Robots sing in Hong Kong
A public showcase in Hong Kong featured more than 100 robots, including a humanoid that sang songs, spoke Mandarin and English, and answered audience questions during the demo (mymotherlode.com). The event mixed tech spectacle and performance, putting robotic vocal demos in a public cultural setting (mymotherlode.com).
More than 100 robots went on public display in Hong Kong this week, where one humanoid sang, switched between Mandarin and English, and took questions from the crowd. (abcnews.com) The demonstrations started Monday, April 13, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where two co-located tech fairs opened with robots, drones and consumer electronics on the floor. (abcnews.com) (hktdc.com) The singing machine was the X2 Ultra from AgiBot, a Chinese humanoid robot maker. Associated Press reported that other robots at the event boxed, did backflips, made sand paintings and joined security-patrol demos that used nets to catch suspects. (techxplore.com) (morningsun.net) The showcase sat inside InnoEX and the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, two events that run from April 13 to April 16 and are backed by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong government’s Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. (hktdc.com) (times-online.com) Organizers said they created a new “RoboPark” spanning both fairs, with exhibitors from Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council said the zone was built to show robots in “diverse application scenarios,” not just behind glass cases. (finance.yahoo.com) (jcnnewswire.com) That setup helps explain why the performance drew attention: the event treated humanoid robots as stage acts, sales tools and service products at the same time. Trade-show coverage said the broader fairs brought together more than 2,800 exhibitors from 27 countries and regions. (twice.com) China’s robot companies have been pushing that mix of utility and personality for months, especially in elder care, education, retail and reception work. In the Hong Kong demo, Novautek chief operating officer Calvin Chiu said a humanoid robot could act “like a friend” and could be tailored for children or older adults. (eweek.com) The Hong Kong event did not announce consumer launch dates or prices for the machines shown in the Associated Press report. What it did show, in front of a live audience, was how robot makers now want speech, movement and performance to land as one product. (abcnews.com)
