XPENG execs cut open latest robot proving human wasn't hiding inside

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng has unveiled a new humanoid robot which features such lifelike movements that company representatives sliced it open onstage to prove a human wasn’t hiding inside.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng Motors, was speaking during IRON’s unveiling at Xpeng’s AI Day in Guangzhou on November 5, where he suggested that IRON’s appearance was designed to be recognizably human to a degree that it even is viewed as slightly unsettling by some.

IRON is based on what its creators call a “born from within” design, as reported by LiveScience. This is the concept that reflects the robot’s design mimicking the human body from the inside out.

The machine, visible in this video,  is equipped with 82 degrees of freedom, including 22 in each hand, allowing it to bend, pivot and gesture at multiple points throughout its body, representatives said.

The robot is powered by three custom AI chips that give it a combined 2,250 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of computing power, which Xpeng says makes it one of the most powerful humanoid robots developed to date.

The article provides data on Intel’s Core Ultra 200V series processor, which is fitted into some of the best laptops, which for comparison can achieve just 120 TOPS.

By Nazrin Sadigova