According to Unitree Robotics CEO Wang Xingxing, the robotics industry's future lies not in creating machines that perform entertaining dances for people, but in developing robots capable of comprehending requests like "I'm thirsty" and retrieving a water bottle from an unfamiliar location.
However, Wang highlighted several significant challenges that must be addressed industry-wide to achieve these goals, such as managing the heat generated by high-performance processors, extending battery duration, and simplifying the intricate wiring systems that currently cause operational failures.
As both CEO and chief technology officer of Unitree, Wang outlined an ambitious three-phase development plan for humanoid robotics. The initial phase involved executing pre-programmed movements such as dance routines or martial arts demonstrations, which Unitree successfully accomplished in the previous year. The second phase focuses on creating spontaneous responses to verbal commands in real-time, which Wang believes could be achieved within the current year if development maintains its current pace. The final phase would involve realizing the "I'm thirsty" use case scenario.
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This final stage would happen when “we bring a robot into [an unknown setting] and it can do anything – such as fetching a glass of water or tidying the table – based on our command”, Wang said at a Qualcomm event in Beijing recently this week, adding that “this could be achieved as soon as next year”.
However, he noted that reaching a 99 percent success rate for such operations would require "several more years," as would enabling robots to handle "more complex" tasks like taking apart and putting back together a mobile phone.
Meanwhile, there are pressing challenges that currently limit robot performance. A key issue is that humanoid robots cannot accommodate high-powered computing systems. Wang pointed to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards as an illustration, noting they use approximately 315 watts during gaming applications and can reach temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius.
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According to Wang, maximum power usage of 200 to 300 watts "would deplete a robot's battery within mere tens of minutes" while generating substantial heat and noise problems.
He recommended adopting processors similar to those found in mobile devices, which would "provide significant potential for both creative thinking and real-world implementation."
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Wang further emphasized wire management as a critical dependability concern, explaining that this factor was responsible for 60 to 70 percent of reduced operational life and failures in manufacturing robots.
These statements were made as the startup, headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, progresses toward launching an initial public offering. Earlier in the month, Unitree announced it anticipated filing the necessary paperwork with the stock exchange "sometime between October and December 2025 for an A-share listing".