But X-Humanoid in Beijing is hoping that will change soon, as it gave NBC News a tour Thursday around its sprawling facility where it showed off a bionic face prototype, complete with hair and artificial skin. “If the robots look more like humans, they can do a lot of stuff that humans can do,” said Nikita Gao, who handles the overseas market for the company. Chinese robotics has advanced at a breathtaking pace as the tech race between the United States and China heats up in several key areas, including AI. Beijing has put the industry front and center of its national agenda, with its latest five-year plan vowing to “target the frontiers of science and technology.”

Full feature : Beijing has put robotics front and center of its national agenda as the tech race with Washington heats up in several key areas, including AI.