A few weeks ago I was in Beijing. I went to take photos with a preliminary version of the Realme GT8 Pro, but there was time to take a walk around. I was expecting to find things that would surprise me, like the external batteries on every corner of the city, but I came across something unexpected: the Galbot G1.
It is a humanoid robot very different from other humanoid robots. Because? Because this is already working. And not in a warehouse or a factory, like so many others, but in a much more demanding position: facing the public.
He is tending a drinks stand in a very large shopping center. It does this without any human intervention. And… the waiters can rest easy.
The robot that serves you bottles of water
Before we get into the robot, let’s go with some context. Galbot is another of the many Chinese companies that are researching robotics. They are focusing not so much on the moving parts as on the ‘brain’ of these robots: the language models connected to a vision system that allows the robot to manipulate objects in a general way.
This means you can break away from pre-programmed routines to react in real time. Its brain is powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor hardware, which is what allows it to execute that LLM in real time, and it has two keys:
- Navigate without the need for markers on the ground. It does not do it with legs, but with a base that gives it less flexibility, but greater autonomy and stability.
- Your system allows you to perceive what is around you, “understand” it, and react based on that perception.
In short: thousands and thousands of dollars invested in creating a robot with one objective: serving me a bottle of water.
Image | WorldOfSoftware
When we stumbled upon the stall, it was by chance. There was no one ordering, all the rows of bottles were intact and it was even strange. But since science doesn’t do itself, I approached, determined to Buy the cheapest bottle of flavored water available to do the test.
The process couldn’t be simpler:
- You choose product.
- You pay with AliPay/WeChat.
- The robot does its thing.
- You leave.
The problem is that I may be defining the work of a robot that has cost a fortune, but I may also be describing the process of purchasing from a Goya vending machine. There are two differences: the robot is cooler… and it takes much longer.
How much? Here it is:
As a bartender, meh. In a warehouse it makes sense
The truth is that my feeling was strange and the first thing I thought was “the waiters can rest assured because this is not a threat.” But I also wondered to what extent the Galbot G1 that had served me was nothing more than a proof of concept in the real world and the company’s intentions are different.
And, indeed.
All that technology and reasoning in real time, with perception of physical space thanks to its numerous cameras and sensors located in various parts of the body, is not there to serve me bottles of a few cents, but to carry out work in environments in which it can really be useful: logistics.
Because in the face of acrobatics, this G1 (because the Unitree is also a G1) is committed to demonstrating its viability in real commercial uses today. One is “light” hospitality, such as the kiosk where I bought, but also logistics in controlled spaces in the last mile.
Applications targeted by Galbot
It is the video demonstration just above these lines, where we see the adaptability of the Galbot when they move the boxes. The response time in which it analyzes the situation is similar to the one I saw when I ordered my little bottle, and those sales stands in some areas of China are nothing more than training, or that’s what I get the feeling, for its artificial intelligence model.
The queue that was set up just when I ordered. Before it was empty. Image | WorldOfSoftware
For now, curiosity, a Furby, an attraction, but in certain environments, it can be very useful. As a vending machine, no, although it attracts a lot of attention, and a good queue formed not to buy… but to see how I bought.
Images | WorldOfSoftware
In WorldOfSoftware | A robot called “Sardinator” circulated through the streets of Malaga promoting a beach bar. Until the police arrived
