(Yicai) Aug. 22 -- Vivo Communication Technology showcased its new mixed reality headset, the Vivo Vision Explorer Edition, yesterday, as part of the Chinese smartphone manufacturer’s push to tap into the robotics industry.

“Mixed reality devices could become a good interface for robot-related applications in the future,” Hu Baishan, executive vice president of the Dongguan-based company, said during an industry forum yesterday.

In the short run, mixed reality headsets are mainly used to give users a bigger screen and more immersive experiences, said Hu, who is also president of Vivo’s Central Research Institute. But in the long run, they could act as a robot’s eyes and brain, making them a key component in household robots.

In March, Vivo set up a robot lab under Hu’s leadership. The lab focuses on developing robots’ decision-making systems, or its brains, as well as the spatial awareness system, in other words its eyes. Mixed reality products are likely to become the ‘smart eye’ of robots that can scan environments and collect information in real time.

Vivo aims to launch its first household robot within three years, the firm said previously. This could be an assistant for household tasks or an elderly caregiver.

Robots require a long industrial chain and complex technologies, an industry insider told Yicai. Apart from the perception system such as the ‘eyes,’ the mechanical structures and motion control systems, such as the ‘hands’ and ‘feet,’ are also very technically demanding and require expertise that most mobile phone makers have no experience of.

Although smartphone engineers are capable of handling software such as artificial intelligence algorithms for robots, building the hardware requires experts in mechanics and electronics, the insider said. In addition, converting handset production lines into ones for robots will be a slow and costly process.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor