Hong Kong opens a test hub for humanoids with Unitree, AgiBot, Galbot and Robotera as first tenants

The Hong Kong Industrial Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Centre (FLAIR), part of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, said in a Media OutReach release on Oct 15 that it has opened the Embodied AI International Applications Hub, which it calls the city's first platform for training, validating and deploying humanoid and embodied-AI systems.

The hub, opened by Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong, starts with seven technology partners (Robotera, Unitree Robotics, Changzhou MicroIntelligence, AI Squared Robotics, AgiBot, Galbot and Rice Robotics) and eight scenario partners from government and industry, covering manufacturing, logistics, retail, inspection and maintenance, and public services; FLAIR says it will write industry test frameworks scoring accuracy, efficiency, reliability, task completion, safety and adaptability.

Nasdaq-listed Axonex AI said in a GlobeNewswire release the same day that its majority-owned Rice Robotics unit signed a validation agreement with FLAIR for education and manufacturing and launched TOMO, a wheeled humanoid for schools with two-finger grippers and a chest display, without giving a price.

Neither release disclosed the hub's budget. Of the seven partners, Unitree is by far the most covered in MEKAWIRE, with 62 linked stories, including its August STAR Market listing.