U.S. takes aim at Chinese robot-makers with sweeping import ban
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday banned imports of new foreign-made advanced robotic devices including humanoids, a major blow to China as one of the leading developers of robotics globally. The agency cited national security and cybersecurity concerns to justify the ban, which covers a broad range of mobile robots weighing over 2 kilograms that use sensors, network, Bluetooth connectivity and AI software for autonomous movement and navigation. In a January report, IDC projected global shipments of humanoid robots to reach about 18,000 units in 2025, a large portion of which came from Chinese companies led by Unitree Robotics and Agibot.
Zuckerberg says U.S. should not ban Chinese models to stay ahead
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., said in a Wednesday interview with the Financial Times that the U.S. government should not ban Chinese artificial intelligence models to maintain its lead in the AI race. He noted that such bans are not a truly effective countermeasure and suggested that U.S. companies should instead recognize their own shortcomings and obstacles to improve their competitiveness.
Ant equips health assistant Afu with ‘AI food photo’ function
Ant Group Co. Ltd. on Wednesday upgraded the AI food recognition feature for its AI health assistant Afu. Users can take a photo of a meal, and Afu will identify the food and analyze its calorie content and nutritional composition. If the recognition results do not fully match the actual meal, users can directly edit details such as the food name. After edits are completed, Afu will generate a dietary record card and a nutrition summary card, allowing users to track their daily food intake and nutritional consumption.
Baidu’s Apollo Go starts public road tests in London
Baidu Inc. announced on Tuesday that its robotaxi brand Apollo Go has launched public road tests in London in partnership with ride-hailing platforms Uber and Freenow. This marks the first time a Chinese autonomous vehicle has undergone real-world testing in London’s complex traffic conditions and represents the company’s another expansion into a right-hand-drive market following Hong Kong. Apollo Go obtained a driverless-testing license in Hong Kong on July 23 and began testing on July 27, becoming the world’s first platform to conduct fully driverless testing in a right-hand-drive system. As of April, Apollo Go had provided over 22 million autonomous rides to the public. As of May, its fully driverless mileage had surpassed 220 million kilometers, covering 27 cities worldwide.
