Shenzhen-based startup Engine AI recently released a demo video of its SE01 humanoid robot, highlighting its remarkably lifelike walking gait. The video earned praise from a senior Nvidia scientist. Engine AI aims to penetrate China’s competitive robotics market by offering cost-effective solutions. A video released by Shenzhen Special Zone Daily shows an adult-sized humanoid robot walking steadily through the streets of Shenzhen, with a posture and speed strikingly similar to a human’s. According to the South China Morning Post, Nvidia senior research scientist Jim Fan shared the video of Engine AI’s robot on X, questioning whether it was real or generated by Sora, an AI video tool, sparking widespread online debate. STAR Market Daily and EETimes China later confirmed the video was not AI-generated. The robot, identified as SE01 from Engine AI, has been widely praised online as “the most human-like walking robot.” Co-founder Qiyuan Yao explained the outdoor test resulted from limited indoor space, saying, “We decided to take it downstairs for a walk.” After confirming the video’s authenticity, Jim Fan reiterated his support for reinforcement learning, stating, “This is a real robot demo! The controller is a neural net trained in the Isaac simulator using reinforcement learning and Sim2Real. Walking gait’s got swag, but we need these robots to go fire-fighting (California wildfires) asap!”

Full report : Chinese startup Engine AI’s new SE01 humanoid robot has a remarkably human-like walking gait.