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December 12, 2024

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Shanghai Fourier Co’s GR-1 robot snares top honor at design contest

By Wu Huixin | 00:00 UTC+8 December 12, 2024 | Print Edition

Shanghai Fourier Co’s GR-1 robot won the grand prize in the Design Intelligence Award. The the other four products received gold awards.

This year’s competition drew over 8,000 entries from 47 countries and regions. The top 39 finalists from global high-end manufacturing organizations, high-tech companies, well-known design firms and recognized colleges demonstrated their originality, knowledge and invention via their designs in the competition.

Around 56 percent of the submissions made their global debut at the event, focusing on the low-altitude economy, the universe, artificial intelligence and virtual reality industries.

The China Academy of Art launched the DIA in 2015 to promote industrial design in China and nurture talent. The organizing committee hosted the award ceremony at the Liangzhu Campus of the CAA this year. DIA does not charge entry fees to promote possibilities for startups and emerging designers.

The committee signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the World Design Organization to carve out more overseas collaborations and explore more talent and promising projects.

Additionally, this year, the committee established the Design Intelligence Foundation to support gifted young people and startups.

“Alongside tremendous technological changes, the DIA is trying to stimulate more innovative ideas and smart products. The CAA has also switched focuses to artificial and artistic intelligence industries these years to cash in on the trend of digital and AI,” said Han Xu, vice principal of the CAA.

The grand award winner, the GR-1 humanoid robot, could exemplify DIA’s evaluation standards and ideals. The product sets new standards in the practical applications of AI robots. With a versatile body structure and advanced motion control, it replicates human-like degrees of freedom. Featuring a highly bionic, human-sized body, the robot could make motions of twisting, squatting and gripping.

Powered by large language models, GR-1 can automate tasks and enhance intuitive human-robot conversation with built-in emotional systems and high-resolution displays. Fourier’s Smart Actuator system integrates the motor, driver, reducer and encoder into a single module, enabling GR-1 with flexible mobility for dynamic and precise movements.

The company’s pure vision solution also enables the humanoid robot to perceive its environment through six RGB cameras, generating a real-time 3D occupancy grid and enhancing the navigation precision and efficiency. Therefore, it could be applied in various fields and scenarios.

“We hope the DIA could transform into a cross-discipline innovation platform, gathering new production modes and tools. Turning creativity and innovation into social wealth is the essence of the design industry,” said Jin Yibing, Party secretary of the CAA.

Digital and AI products, including the video game SPARK2024 by Tencent Group, the e-commerce design application Pic Copilot by Alibaba Group and the dental implant surgical system THETA by Hangzhou Jianjia Medical Technology Co, won three of the four gold awards.

Designed in the UK, the Ventete aH-1 Helmet was the only overseas project to win the gold. The helmet could fold down and fit in a pocket. This simple idea gave rise to an intricate engineering solution — a patented pneumatic structural system that uses pressurized air to responsively absorb impact forces.

The system inflates in 30 seconds with the included tire-compatible electric pump. It demonstrates leading innovations in high-precision fabric welding and polymer moulding. Switzerland crafts the premium head-protection design with a focus on the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.

Some popular products were among the top 39 finalists. Consider the Huawei Mate XT phone. In September, Huawei launched this highly anticipated Z-shaped Mate XT, the world’s first triple-fold smartphone. The smartphone boasts a new kind of foldable design and is both the largest and the thinnest foldable phone on the market.

The finalists also included the new energy vehicle AITO M9. It is a co-brand between Chinese vehicle manufacturer Seres Group and Huawei and powered by Huawei’s Harmony system.

Hangzhou


 

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