According to China’s Global Times news outlet, the robot traveled from Jinji Lake in China’s Jiangsu province to Shanghai’s Bund waterfront district. According to UPI, the robot never shut down and reportedly continued working even when the battery was changed.
A video posted on YouTube shows a heavily edited version of the walk that does not provide much insight into how it was likely monitored by human operators. But even though it may involve some humans acting as baby-sitters, according to the Global Times, the trip includes everything you’d expect when hiking in an urban environment, including a variety of terrain, limited visibility at night, and steep slopes.
The robot followed traffic signals, but it is unclear what level of autonomy would have been at work. The company told the Global Times that “the robot was equipped with a dual GPS module with its built-in lidar and infrared depth cameras, giving it the sensing capabilities needed for precise navigation through changing lighting conditions and complex urban environments.”
This suggests it was fully autonomous, and the Guinness Book of World Records used the term “autonomous”, though Gizmodo could not independently verify that claim.
“Walking from Suzhou to Shanghai is difficult for many people to do at once, yet the robot accomplished it,” Wang Chuang, partner and senior vice president of Azibot, told the Global Times.
How much autonomy a robot is operating under is a big question when it comes to companies introducing their displays. Elon Musk’s Optimus robot has been ridiculed at various points as the billionaire has tried to show that his Tesla robot is more autonomous than it is in real life.
For example, Musk posted a video in January 2024 that showed Optimus folding a shirt. This has historically been a difficult task for robots to accomplish autonomously. And, as it turns out, Optimus was actually being teleoperated by someone who was just off-screen. Well, off-screen isn’t far off either. The teleoperator’s hand was peeking into the frame, which made people aware of it.
Musk did something similar in October 2024 when he reportedly showed the Optimus robot pouring beer during his big Cybercab event in Los Angeles. These were also teleoperated.
It’s entirely possible that AgiBot’s A2 drove the entire route autonomously. The technology is actually getting that good, even though long-lasting batteries are still a major hurdle. But obviously, people need to be skeptical when it comes to spectacular claims in the robot race.
We have been promised robotic servants for over a century. And the people who have historically sold that idea are often not afraid to use deception to publicize their latest achievements. Remember Miss Honeywell of 1968? Or did Musk unveil Optimus himself? They were nothing more than humans in robot costumes.
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