Tag: Robots and Robotics

‘They Don’t Need People’: The Workers Left Behind by China’s Robot Drive

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The park was in the center of China’s richest county. Willow trees clustered around a well-manicured pond. Joggers in performance gear circled shiny new playgrounds filled with children. But in a quieter part of the park, Hu Xinbing was resting after another day of trying, unsuccessfully, to win his share of the local prosperity. After failing to find a job that morning, Mr. Hu, 31, lay behind some bushes, using a windbreaker as a pillow, and waited until he could try again the next day. Around him, about a dozen…

Why It’s Nearly Impossible to Build a Robot Without China

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Japan led the world in robotics for decades. More than 50 years ago, Japanese researchers captured imaginations with the first robot capable of grasping objects and walking on two legs. In 1984, a team in Japan built one that could read sheet music and play the piano. When Honda unveiled its first humanoid in 2000, it seemed to cement the country’s lead. But now, just as tech investors, start-up founders and government officials around the world are betting that artificial intelligence will spur growth for robots, that lead no longer…

Robot Finishes Half Marathon Faster Than Human World Record

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new video loaded: Robot Finishes Half Marathon Faster Than Human World Record <img alt="A bright-red 5-foot-5 humanoid robot strides on a road in Beijing." src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robot-finishes-half-marathon-faster-than-human-world-record.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width < 1024px) 100vw, (width A humanoid robot named Lightning ran a half-marathon race in Beijing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — faster than the human world record for the distance. By Christina Kelso and Zach Wasser April 19, 2026 NYT

China’s Clean Energy Push is Powering Flying Taxis, Food Delivery Drones and Bullet Trains

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By The New York Times Dec. 17, 2025 Battery-swapping robots for carsLunch from the skyVery rapid transitTaxis that drive themselvesRobot trucks don’t need windowsSubways get a makeover NYT

A.I. Killer Drones Are Becoming Reality. Nations Disagree on Limits.

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It seems like something out of science fiction: swarms of killer robots that hunt down targets on their own and are capable of flying in for the kill without any human signing off. But it is approaching reality as the United States, China and a handful of other nations make rapid progress in developing and deploying new technology that has the potential to reshape the nature of warfare by turning life and death decisions over to autonomous drones equipped with artificial intelligence programs. That prospect is so worrying to many…

Chinese Rover’s Moon Cube and Other Solar System Mysteries

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Moon Cube and Mysteries of the Solar System Shannon Stirone🔭 Gazing at the planets and stars CNSA/EPA, via Shutterstock This week, images taken by China’s lunar rover, Yutu-2, showed a cube-shaped object on the moon’s surface. Did aliens leave an artifact on the moon? Or is it the latest case of mistaken identity around our solar system? → NYT