Chapter 260 - 254 Machine_1

The 2016 Zhuhai Airshow saw New Yuan’s participation as well, and it was considerably more substantial than the last time.

In terms of space, it was still mostly models and PowerPoint presentations, as several spacecraft were not available, leaving only an early research and development test version of the Explorer robot for the actual exhibit.

The aviation aspect was quite interesting, with 11 GJ-21 Meteor Advanced Trainer jets arriving for the airshow, and they would be performing frequent flights over the next two weeks.

Additionally, the An-1250 number one aircraft, B4043, would also have a flight display, a simple low-altitude flypast, but with its huge size, it was sure to be quite a spectacle.

Speaking of the An-1250, one couldn’t help but mention that convoluted global flight plan which, after months of difficult negotiations, had finally secured flight permits for B4143 over dozens of countries.

The flight plan was expected to take place at the end of November, starting from New Yuan carrying staff from the Guinness World Records, first flying over the Island Country and the Pacific Ocean via America, then back from Europe, with an estimated duration of about 50 hours.

Now, B4143 was at the B-level Base being carefully maintained and prepared, a 50-hour high-intensity continuous flight required the most thorough preparation.

As for the remaining exhibits, they were actually the focal point of New Yuan’s main push this year: artificial intelligence.

Zhou Qingfeng headed straight for New Yuan’s booth as soon as he entered the exhibition hall; though they arrived quite early, there were already quite a few people gathered there.

The exhibit that the crowd surrounded was very special and it immediately caught Zhou Qingfeng’s attention:

Large humanoid robots, or in a more commonly used term: mecha.

It was now the year 2016, and when the imposing figure of "Warrior" appeared before the crowd, it immediately awe-struck the "country bumpkins" who had never seen such a thing before.

An engineer from the Microelectronic Department stood beside the booth, a look of expected pride on his face, he proudly adjusted his black-framed glasses.

The exhibit was the Warrior Type I robot; however, it wasn’t equipped with the "Courage" AI. It was only an empty shell, but indeed a functional empty shell.

Just as in factory testing, the Warrior Type I was suspended by chains from a fixed support, but beneath it was no longer a treadmill, but a special large omnidirectional treadmill capable of moving in any direction.

The robot was hung to avoid accidents and falls - not that a fall would greatly damage the machine, but the weight of over 200 kilograms was already approaching the load limit of the omnidirectional treadmill; a fall might have damaged it.

Although using the same principle as the omnidirectional treadmill employed with VR equipment, this one was specially customized and cost quite a bit of money!

The Warrior Type I, suspended by chains at its shoulders, didn’t lose any of its domineering presence; instead, it looked to the crowd like the immense mecha being lifted by helicopters in the movie Pacific Rim.

Zhou Qingfeng had automatically overlaid the image of the Wanderer Mech with that of the Warrior Type I, and his eyes sparkled with stars.

Using his size to his advantage, he squeezed to the front to read the displayed introduction of Warrior Type I:

"Introduction to Warrior Type I General Ground Humanoid Assistant Working Robot:

Height: 2113mm

Weight: 266~307 kilograms (depending on the equipment installed)

Maximum load-bearing weight: 1150 kilograms

Maximum speed: 85 kilometers/hour

...

Series of parameters sparkled in Zhou Qingfeng’s eyes with amazement, oblivious to the fact that most of them were theoretically unattainable for the time being. He couldn’t help but constantly exclaim in awe.

In his eyes, the cyan-black Warrior Type I already seemed like the super mecha from a sci-fi movie, carrying an electromagnetic gun to heaven and earth—the physical incarnation of the Terminator T-800.

As the crowd grew, Zhang Wei, dressed in a jumpsuit, walked into the demonstration area from backstage, stopping beside Warrior Type I. Beneath his feet was a universal treadmill.

Next, with the help of two staff members, various devices were attached to Zhang Wei’s fingers, joints, and waist, and finally, a helmet connected to numerous cables was lowered from above.

When Zhang Wei put on this equipment, he already appeared quite similar to Warrior Type I.

The bewildered crowd watched Zhang Wei’s flurry of operations until he was ready, and then a staff member, taking the microphone, turned to the audience and cameras to introduce:

"There are many dangerous environments in life, such as fires, chemical plant hazardous material leaks, floods, earthquakes, and so on. In such situations, rescue personnel are in extremely dangerous settings. One of the uses of Warrior Type I is that it can be remotely controlled by humans to enter these environments and carry out rescues.

The Warrior Type I robot has a body similar to that of a human, is heat-resistant and waterproof, and can be further equipped with protective measures, fully capable of replacing humans. Now, our operator Zhang Wei will demonstrate for you all."

Zhang Wei waved to the crowd below, then pulled down the VR display screen with his gloved fingers. Unbeknownst to the crowd, Warrior Type I had already slightly lowered its height to firmly plant its soles on the ground, and its bowed head lifted as the screen beside the display lit up.

The screen showed the view captured by the Warrior Type I’s head camera.

From the earpiece came the ready signal from backstage, and Zhang Wei first raised his right hand, grasping at the air.

The audience below uttered a collective "wow" of amazement.

Because to the right of Zhang Wei, Warrior Type I lifted its right arm almost without any delay, flexibly mirroring the motion and grasping as well.

Simultaneously, since all joints had synchronizing sensors, the robot’s entire body made subtle adjustments without a hint of stiffness. To the audience, Warrior Type I seemed to suddenly "come to life," brimming with intelligence.

Zhang Wei, already proficient, smoothly performed several test movements, confirming that all subsystems of Warrior Type I were functioning normally before beginning the well-rehearsed demonstration.

Zhou Qingfeng watched as Warrior Type I suddenly started to "clang" "clang" walk on the treadmill, movements fluid and natural, prompting him to widen his eyes and observe closely.

Non-AI control does not mean that AI is completely unnecessary, it just needs the data from the synchronized operator.

Though information travels at the speed of light, simple signal replication still requires processing time. Moreover, there’s still a substantial difference between robots and humans, necessitating the cooperation of underlying AI systems.

Warrior Type I is still equipped with a specially trained AI, which, using the extensive training database with Zhang Wei, has a significant understanding of his individual movement habits. It’s only with the AI’s deliberate coordination that such perfectly smooth movements are possible.

As for why "Courage" is not on display, it’s primarily because its training isn’t finished. As a fully self-learning AI, its model and thought processes are completely different from conventional methods. Everything is learned through experience, and without a vast sample for learning, "Courage" would not perform satisfactorily.

With Zhang Wei’s almost seamless human-mecha coordination, Warrior Type I’s demonstration was flawless. Except for explosive jumping actions, which were avoided to prevent damaging the universal treadmill, everything else was perfect.

Even after a few minutes into the demonstration, the universal treadmill under Warrior Type I was turned off, and Zhang Wei directly controlled the mecha to step off with large strides amid the audience’s gasps. It reached the edge of the display platform and gently bent down, extending its metal palm toward a dumbstruck Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng, trembling, reached out with a small hand to meet the impressively tall Warrior Type I, completing a handshake of great significance.

Staff members from the neighboring Aerospace Science and Technology and the Northern Weapons Exhibition Area had also gathered, watching, dumbfounded, as Warrior Type I interacted skillfully with multiple onlookers.