Beijing Opens a “Robot Kindergarten”: “Robots Interact and Learn on Their Own”

[Financial News] A “robot kindergarten” for training humanoid robots has opened in Beijing.
State-run media outlet Global Times and others reported on the 2nd that the robot kindergarten, which opened the previous day in Beijing’s Shijingshan District, was jointly established by tactile-sensor company Tashan Technology and the research team of Dr. Richard Sutton, a Turing Award winner and pioneer of reinforcement learning.
The facility’s defining feature is the robots’ autonomous learning, according to the media. Rather than having humans demonstrate tasks, the robots learn through tactile feedback, trial and error, and experience.
Global Times reported that robots at the kindergarten were seen repeatedly attempting movements and adjusting their actions on their own. For example, when a robot learning to walk collided with a wall, it recorded what happened and changed its next movement to avoid repeating the same mistake.
According to the Chinese robotics online platform Robot Auditorium, Dr. Sutton, who met the “robot kindergarten students” at the opening ceremony, explained that the goal is to provide a safe environment where robots can understand their own bodies and interact with the physical world through experience.
He emphasized that this requires not only new algorithms but also robots and environments specifically designed for learning.
Ma Yang, chief executive officer (CEO) of Tashan Technology, explained that support from Beijing authorities and state-owned enterprise Shougang Group enabled the kindergarten to officially open just 37 days after the plan was announced. “Based on the technology we have accumulated in tactile perception, we will provide the ‘children’ at the robot kindergarten with a starting point for perceiving the world,” Ma said.
Chris de Asis, a global senior research fellow at the U.S. research institute OpenMind, and Hou Guangdong, vice president of research and development at Tashan Technology, established seven joint research tasks on autonomous learning at the robot kindergarten. Their plan is to conduct continuous repetitive learning with low-cost, easy-to-maintain robots and encourage the robots to explore actively.
China, which has strategically fostered its robotics industry, is expanding training facilities for applications in real-world industrial settings. Training centers in Beijing Yizhuang and Shijingshan District have created a range of learning environments, from precision work to household labor.

[email protected] International Affairs Specialist Lee Seok-woo Reporter