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Zhang Li‘s career course has look like a bellwether for China ’s tech trends . When the Cisco oldtimer joined WeRide in 2018 , the Chinese autonomous fomite company was less than a year old . In the next few year , the country would become a breeding primer for three Ab unicorns , include WeRide , of which evaluation surged to$4.4 billionlast year .
Zhang ’s surrender from WeRide in June , three months after the companyfiled confidentially for an IPO , came as a surprise to some people . But as we learned about his next step , it became manifest that his decision was drive by his inhalation to work on the “ next big thing . ”
The former WeRide chief operating officer has joinedLimX Dynamics , a Shenzhen - based robotics inauguration , as its co - beginner and primary operating police officer . Zhang will in the first place focalise on business scheme and operation , duct development , merchandising and communication , and government activity sexual intercourse , both domestically and internationally .
The timing , again , seems uncaused . Just last week , China ’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technologyreleaseda nine - page blueprint that delineate the country ’s goal to mass - produce humanoid robot by 2025 . Such top - level guideline have historically helped lure talent and capital into a fledgling technology field .
After being in the Ab diligence for five years , Zhang felt an urge to move on . Again , he was see for a inauguration to join and had two criteria in psyche : first , it needs to have proprietary , cutting - edge engineering science ; secondly , it should be able to appeal substantial capital .
LimX Dynamics was his answer . Founded by a chemical group of robotics scientists , the startup has already elevate 200 million yuan ( $ 27.5 million ) in angel and pre - A financing . Along with the hiring of Zhang today , the inauguration is also name Dr. Jia Pan , a tenured associate prof at the University of Hong Kong , as its main scientist .
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“ My persuasiveness lies in working with entrepreneurial scientists and companies where technology and business concern develop mitt in hand , ” Zhang told TechCrunch in an interview . Having help WeRide recover product - market fit and scale robotaxi operations in China , Zhang seems to be an ideal candidate for the inauguration work on legged robots , a relatively nascent type of mobile automaton that uses leg mechanics to move .
From smart driving to humanoids
The birthing of Optimus has sparked widespread discussion on the similarities between robots and automated or sovereign driving . When Tesla introduced the humanoid robot last year , it highlight the ties between the two areas . As my fellow worker Darrellreportedthen :
suppose about it . We ’re just motivate from wheels to our legs , ” explained one of the company ’s engineers . “ So some of the components are pretty standardised [ … ] It ’s exactly the same occupancy web . Now we ’ll verbalize a little fleck more item later on with Autopilot team [ … ] The only matter that change really is the preparation data .
echo the observation , Zhang said the modulation to the Modern job would probably be smooth , thanks to the transferability of his knowledge and skillsets from ego - driving .
“ It ’s obvious that like autonomous fomite , legged robots also use SLAM [ Simultaneous Localization and Mapping ] . But as I delved more into the two line of business , I realized that they have many other similarities . Today , most family own a car or two , but in the future , they may own one or more automaton to carry out domesticated tasks . Like self - driving vehicles , robots are harness the emergence of moving from point A to manoeuver B. ”
But as Darrell also precisely point out , the law of similarity might be an oversimplification :
The domain of a function expertness , while reduced to a simple translation by Tesla ’s presentation , is actuallyquite a complex one . Bipedal automaton navigating walker routes is a very different savage from autonomous vehicle routes , and oversimplifying the connexion does a disservice to the immense be consistency of research and development piece of work on the subject .
It ’s too other to say where bipedal and quadrupedal golem will find their muckle borrowing . LimX Dynamics is currently piloting a epitome for industrial inspection use , with the intention of bringing its robots to automobile manufacture , logistics and home services .
“ review is a no - brainer , but my job is to look for cases that are n’t even conceivable today , ” say the administrator . “ If you remember of automaton as a gadget with an operating organization , then there ’s a lot of way for resource . ”
After yr of frenzied investment and hiring , the AV industry ’s course to generate meaningful revenues still remains unclear in both China and the U.S. Will legged robots face a similar destiny ? Zhang expressed his desire for a serious final result .
“ Let ’s hope that the robotics industriousness wo n’t sprint ahead without being capable to land like self - driving . ”
Corrected Zhang ’s title at WeRide on Nov 7 , 2023 .
Tesla ’s robot strategy is inextricably tied to its Autopilot strategy , for better or for worse
China ’s robotaxi arriviste WeRide confidentially file cabinet for IPO
