Wang Xingxing: The Boy Who Built the Future of Robotics
Contents Foreword The Boy Who Took Things Apart (And Never Stopped) Chapter 1 The Boy Who Couldn’t Learn English (But Built Robots Instead) Chapter 2 The 200-Yuan Robot That Refused to Walk Chapter 3 The Lunatic Who Quit His Job to Build Robots Chapter 4 The Humanoid Dream and the 9.9-Million-Yuan Gamble Chapter 5 The Ultimate Lesson in Failure (And Why It Never Stopped Me) ⚫ Words for Future Dreamakers ⚫ Reflection Questions After Reading ⚫ Word List
Foreword: The Boy Who Took Things Apart (And Never Stopped) This is a story about a boy. Not just any boy—a boy who loved breaking things. While other children were kicking footballs, riding bicycles, and getting into all sorts of splendid trouble, this boy was in a corner with a screwdriver, unscrewing something he probably shouldn’t be touching. One day it was the family alarm clock. The next, a perfectly working remote control. And once—though he’ll never admit it—a television set, which, unfortunately, never worked the same again. This boy was, of course, me. Now, most parents would be absolutely horrified to find their child surrounded by the dismembered parts of household electronics. And mine certainly were. "What have you done this time?!" they would cry. But before they could confiscate my tools, I’d already be figuring out
how to put everything back together. Sometimes, I even made things better than before—though my mother strongly disagreed the day I turned her old hairdryer into a “super blaster” (it did not survive). The point is, I was obsessed with making things move. Why do gears fit so perfectly? How does a motor spin? What makes an electric circuit buzz or light up? These were the questions that kept me awake at night. Little did I know that this obsession—the same one that got me into trouble time and time again—would one day shape my entire future. Why Should You Care About Me? Right now, the world is changing at lightning speed. **Robots, AI, self-driving cars, talking computers—**all those things that once seemed like science fiction are real. They’re happening right now. In a few years, you might have a robot in your house. It could clean your room, help with your homework, and maybe even argue with you about bedtime (spoiler: it will always win). And guess what? I’m one of the people making that future happen. But if you had met me when I was your age, you would never—
NEVER—have believed I would grow up to lead one of the most exciting robotics companies in the world. Why? Because I was a disaster in school. • I was dreadful at English. My grades were so bad that they cost me a spot at one of China’s top universities. • I was a menace in college. Instead of doing what I was supposed to (studying for exams), I spent all my time in the lab, building things. • I was a complete lunatic. I quit a perfectly good job after just two months to start my own robotics company—with almost no money. I failed. A lot. People laughed at me. A lot. But I never stopped. Today, my company—Unitree Robotics—is one of the world’s leading robotics firms. • Our robots are used by MIT, Stanford, and the most brilliant researchers in the world. • They have performed at China’s biggest TV event (yes, really).
• Even Elon Musk and NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang have noticed our work. But this is not a story about a genius who was always destined for success. It’s a story about finding something you love, failing over and over, and refusing to quit. You and I Are Not So Different Maybe you think you’re not the best student in class. Maybe there’s one subject that always trips you up—like English did for me. And maybe—just maybe—you feel like success is only for the kids who get perfect grades. Let me tell you a secret: That’s absolute nonsense. What really matters isn’t how smart you are today. It’s whether you’re willing to work for what you love tomorrow. I hope my story will show you that you don’t have to wait for the perfect moment. You don’t have to be a genius.
And you definitely don’t have to know all the answers. You just need to start. So come along—let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s meet the boy who took things apart… …and never stopped.
Chapter 1: The Boy Who Couldn’t Learn English (But Built Robots Instead) Some children are good at everything. They get perfect scores on their math tests, speak English like a Hollywood movie star, and can probably play the violin while solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. I was not one of those children. I was very, very good at one thing—taking things apart. And I was absolutely, spectacularly awful at another thing—English. Now, I don’t mean I was “not great” at English. I mean my English tests looked like a disaster site. I would stare at the exam paper, watching the letters swim before my eyes, hoping—praying—that the answers would magically reveal themselves. They never did. Meanwhile, my math and science teachers thought I was a genius. “This boy,” they would say, “has the brain of an engineer!”
My English teacher, on the other hand, looked at me the same way you might look at a soggy sandwich. And one day, in front of my parents, she said the words that haunted me for years: “This child is not very bright.” The Great English Tragedy In my house, English tests were a major family event. The night before, my mother would hand me a list of words to memorize. "Ten words tonight, and we’ll test you in the morning!" she would declare, as if preparing a soldier for battle. The next morning, I would sit at the breakfast table, staring at my cereal, trying to remember at least one word from the list. “Alright,” my mother would say. “What does apple mean?” Silence. She would sigh. “Fine. What about book?” I would panic. “...Banana?” At school, things were even worse.
The teacher would say, “Listen carefully to the recording.” I would listen carefully. The teacher would ask, “What did they say?” I would have absolutely no idea. And so, in middle school, my English grades were so terrible that even my parents stopped checking my test scores. My mother simply sighed whenever she saw my report card and said, “As long as your math is good.” But there was a problem. You see, in China, English is VERY important for university entrance exams. And so, when I reached high school, my English teacher told me, quite matter-of-factly: “You will never pass the exams. You will never get into a good university. You are… hopeless.” The Almost-Disaster That Was High School My English was so bad that when I took the high school entrance exam, I nearly failed. I had done brilliantly in math and physics. Spectacularly! My scores in science were so high that my teachers cheered when they saw them.
Then they saw my English score. They stopped cheering. They sighed. They shook their heads. And I only barely managed to get into a normal high school. Not a top school. Not a great school. A school that accepted students who were just… okay. Now, most people at this point might think, “Maybe I should REALLY focus on my English.” But not me. Because by now, I had discovered something much more important. Something much more exciting. Something much more ME. Robots. The Joy of Making Things Move I don’t mean those toy robots you see in stores. I mean real robots. Machines that could move, think (sort of), and even walk. While other students were memorizing poems and practicing English speeches, I was in my room, surrounded by wires, batteries, and tiny
motors. I built a battery-powered circuit. I experimented with electrolysis in my kitchen sink (which my mother did not appreciate). I designed a tiny motor-powered device that could crawl across my desk. While my classmates spent their evenings studying past English exams, I spent mine taking apart electric toys to see how they worked. And while my English teacher still thought I was a hopeless case, my physics teacher was saying things like: "I think he might be a genius." The High School Gamble When it came time for university entrance exams, I knew my future was balanced on a knife’s edge. • My math and science scores were so good that I could have easily gone to one of China’s top universities. • But my English scores were so horrendous that they dragged my overall results down, down, down.
And so, I lost my chance to get into a top-tier university. Instead of going to Tsinghua or Zhejiang University, I ended up at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, a decent but not elite school. And do you know what? I wasn’t even that upset. Because for the first time in my life, I didn’t have to study English anymore. Instead, I could focus on what I loved. And so, as soon as I entered university, I threw myself into the world of robots, engineering, and mechanical design. I spent hours building circuits. I studied how motors worked. I took my first steps into the world of real robotics. And then, during my first university winter break, I did something completely ridiculous. With 200 yuan (about $30), I built my first two-legged walking robot. It wobbled. It tripped. It fell flat on its face, over and over again.
But when it finally took its first step— I knew. I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. A Different Kind of Intelligence Years later, when I became the founder of one of the world’s leading robotics companies, I was asked in an interview: “Do you regret not being good at English?” I laughed. "Not at all," I said. "Because I discovered something more important: I found my passion." You see, I had never been a genius in everything. But I had been a genius in one thing. And sometimes, that’s all you need. (To be continued… The 200-Yuan Robot!) Chapter 2: The 200-Yuan Robot That Refused to Walk Let me ask you a question.
If you had 200 yuan (about 30 US dollars), what would you do with it? • Buy five cups of bubble tea? • Go to the movies twice (with popcorn, of course)? • Save it for something useful? I did none of those things. Instead, I took my entire winter holiday savings and spent it on a pile of plastic, a few tiny motors, and a handful of wires. Because I had one completely outrageous idea. I was going to build a robot. A real, walking robot. And I was going to do it inside my dorm room, with absolutely no laboratory, no fancy tools, and no help. Just me, 200 yuan, and a head full of ideas. The Great Dormitory Experiment To say my dorm room was a mess would be an understatement. While other students had books neatly stacked on their desks, mine was covered in screwdrivers, wires, and bits of plastic. While others were snacking on instant noodles, I was melting plastic
with a soldering iron (which, by the way, smells absolutely horrible). One day, my roommate walked in, took a long look around, and sighed. "It looks like you’re running a secret factory in here," he said. "I am," I replied, without looking up. Because at that moment, I was deep in battle—fighting with a tiny, stubborn 9-gram servo motor that absolutely refused to do what I wanted. The Robot That Kept Falling Over After two weeks of cutting, wiring, and coding, my masterpiece was complete. It wasn’t exactly a beautiful robot. It had long, skinny legs, an awkwardly shaped body, and a suspiciously unstable stance. If you squinted, it kind of looked like a tiny, robotic flamingo. But looks didn’t matter. Because if it could walk, even just one step, I would have done something truly special. I placed it carefully on the floor.
I held my breath. I pressed the start button. The robot lifted one foot… …and collapsed face-first onto the ground. I sighed. I picked it up, adjusted the code, changed the angle of the servos, and tried again. It fell. I tried again. It fell. I tried again and again and again. For three entire days, it did nothing but fall. The First Step On the third night, my roommate walked in to find me sitting crosslegged on the floor, staring at my robot like it had personally betrayed me. "Still not working?" he asked. "Still falling," I muttered.
He thought for a moment. "Why don’t you give it a break?" I glared at him like he had suggested I throw my robot off the nearest balcony. "Absolutely not." So I kept adjusting the code. I tweaked the angles. I fine-tuned the balance. And then—at exactly 3:12 AM— It happened. The robot stood up. It lifted one foot. It wobbled dangerously. I held my breath. And then— It took a step. A tiny, slow, awkward step. But a step nonetheless. And in that moment, in that tiny dorm room, with no fancy lab, no expensive equipment, and no professional guidance, I had built a walking robot with my own hands.
The Real Lesson: You Don’t Need Permission to Start You might think the most important thing I learned that winter was how to make a robot walk. Nope. The real lesson was this: You don’t need permission to start. You don’t need a fancy degree. You don’t need expensive tools. You don’t need someone to tell you it’s “okay” to try. All you need is an idea, a bit of stubbornness, and a willingness to fail over and over again until you get it right. The 10,000-Yuan Surprise One month later, I took my tiny, wobbling robot to one of my professors. He watched it walk—slowly, clumsily, but successfully—across his desk. Then he turned to me and asked, "What’s next?" I froze.
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. "I… I think I want to make it run?" I said, suddenly unsure of myself. The professor nodded thoughtfully. "If you can make it run, I’ll get you a 10,000-yuan research grant." My brain exploded. 10,000 yuan! That was 50 times my original budget. With that kind of money, I could buy better motors, better processors, and maybe even rent a proper workspace instead of my messy dorm room! That was the moment I realized something truly important: If you build something great, opportunities will find you. A 200-Yuan Robot. A 10,000-Yuan Future. A few weeks earlier, I had spent my entire winter holiday savings on a ridiculous idea. And now, that ridiculous idea was getting me my first research grant. I was no longer just a student who liked building robots. I was a robotics researcher, an inventor, and a dreamer with a 10,000- yuan problem to solve.
And so, with my tiny, wobbly robot by my side, I set out on my next mission. Make it run. (To be continued… The Startup Gamble!) Chapter 3: The Lunatic Who Quit His Job to Build Robots If you ever want to terrify your parents, tell them you’re quitting a perfectly good job after only two months to start your own company—with no money, no office, and no business experience whatsoever. That’s exactly what I did. It was 2016, and I had landed a dream job at DJI, one of the world’s leading drone companies. The pay was great, the work was interesting, and the future seemed secure. And yet, after only two months, I marched into my manager’s office and handed in my resignation letter. My friends thought I had lost my mind. "You just started!" "DJI is one of the best tech companies in China!" "What are you going to do without a salary?"
I didn’t have all the answers. All I knew was this: I didn’t want to build someone else’s dream. I wanted to build my own. A Man, A Robot, and Absolutely No Money So I packed up my belongings, left Shenzhen, and returned to Hangzhou, where my only possessions were: 1. My four-legged robot prototype, which was still wobbly and confused about walking. 2. A laptop (that was at least five years old). 3. A savings account that was dangerously close to zero. But none of that mattered. Because in my mind, I had everything I needed: A vision. A stubborn belief. And an absolute refusal to quit. Thus began the greatest and most ridiculous adventure of my life: Starting my own robotics company from nothing. The Startup Gamble: Winning My First 80,000 Yuan Now, let me tell you a secret about starting a company when you’re
broke: it’s terrifying. I had no investors. I had no financial backup. I had no business plan (unless you count “build robots and hope for the best”). So I did the only thing I could think of: I entered a robotics startup competition. My goal was simple: win some prize money, rent an office, and figure everything else out later. I brought my homemade, shaky-legged robot to the contest, hoping the judges would see its potential. And somehow—against all odds— I won second place. The prize? 80,000 yuan. Now, 80,000 yuan might not sound like much if you’re a big investor, but to me, it was a fortune. With that money, I: • Rented a tiny, half-dilapidated office (which looked suspiciously like an abandoned storage unit).
• Bought proper tools and materials (so I didn’t have to keep using parts from broken toys). • Hired my first team members—two other robotics nerds who were just as crazy as I was. And just like that, on August 8, 2016, Unitree Robotics was born. Building Laikago: The Robot Dog That No One Wanted With a company name and a bit of money, we set out on our first big project: Building the best four-legged robot in the world. We called it Laikago, named after Laika, the first dog in space. It could walk. It could jump. It could even recover from small stumbles. We thought it was revolutionary. The market, however, did not agree. “Why would I buy a robot dog for thousands of dollars when I can get a real dog for free?” “What does it do? Can it fetch my slippers?” “Cool tech, but… what’s the point?”
We quickly realized something: Just because you build an amazing robot doesn’t mean people will buy it. Our company was in trouble before it had even properly started. The YouTube Miracle: A Video That Changed Everything Just as we were wondering whether we had completely wasted our time, we decided to upload a video of Laikago to YouTube. It showed the robot walking, balancing, and even trotting over obstacles. We posted it with zero expectations. And then— BOOM. The video exploded. Within days: • It had over a million views. • Tech websites started writing about it. • Universities, researchers, and robotics enthusiasts from around the world began reaching out.
For the first time, we saw who actually wanted our robots: Not families. Not pet owners. But scientists, engineers, and AI researchers. Our first customers weren’t dog lovers. They were MIT professors, Stanford AI teams, and top universities around the world. And just like that, we found our market. The Spring Festival Miracle: Robots on National TV By 2024, Unitree Robotics had gained worldwide recognition. And then, out of nowhere, we got a phone call. From China Central Television. “Would you like your robots to perform at the Spring Festival Gala?” For those unfamiliar, this is the single biggest TV event in China. Imagine the Super Bowl halftime show, the Oscars, and New Year’s Eve in Times Square all rolled into one. Every year, over a billion people tune in. This was an insane opportunity. So, on New Year’s Eve, millions of Chinese families sat down to watch their favorite annual show—
And there, in perfect synchrony, a squad of Unitree robots danced across the stage. That night, as I watched from my office, sipping my tea, I thought back to: • My old dorm room, where my first robot kept falling over. • The tiny, half-destroyed “office” where we built Laikago. • The first YouTube video that put us on the map. And now, here we were—on national television, showing the world what we had created. But I didn’t celebrate. I didn’t jump up and down. I simply sat back, took another sip of tea, and thought: “Alright. What’s next?” Entrepreneurship: The Most Brutal Game You’ll Ever Play Most people think starting a company is glamorous. Let me tell you a secret. It’s not. It’s brutal.
It’s exhausting. It’s waking up every day with the fear that your company might fail tomorrow. It’s knowing that if you make one mistake, you might lose everything. And yet, despite all the challenges, I never regretted it. Because here’s the thing about building something from scratch: When you finally see it work—when it moves, jumps, and stands on its own— You realize it was worth every single sleepless night. (To be continued… The Birth of the Humanoid Robot!) Chapter 4: The Humanoid Dream and the 9.9-Million-Yuan Gamble Let’s play a game. Close your eyes and imagine the future. What do you see? Flying cars? Talking computers? Maybe a robot that walks, talks, and helps you with your homework?
If you ask me, the real future isn’t about flying cars. It’s about walking robots. And not just any robots. Humanoid robots. Robots that look, move, and behave like us. For years, I had been building four-legged robots—Laikago, Aliengo, A1. They were smart. They were agile. They could run, jump, and even backflip. But there was one problem. No matter how advanced they were, people never truly connected with them. Because, at the end of the day, they still looked like machines. But a humanoid robot? That would change everything. The Impossible Challenge: Building a Humanoid Robot Now, if you think building a four-legged robot is hard, let me tell you—building a humanoid robot is a nightmare. Two legs are MUCH harder than four. A dog-like robot can spread its weight across four points, making it
more stable. But a humanoid robot? Only two feet. It has to balance perfectly, move like a human, and most importantly—not fall flat on its face every five seconds. And the worst part? It had never been done successfully at an affordable price. Boston Dynamics had Atlas, a humanoid robot that could do parkour. But it was a research project, not a commercial product. Tesla had announced Optimus, but it was still in development. Most humanoid robots either cost millions or didn’t actually work. I wanted to change that. I wanted to build a humanoid robot that was: 1. Affordable (not just for billion-dollar companies). 2. Practical (something you could actually use, not just a lab toy). 3. Strong enough to change the world. And so, in 2023, we unveiled our first humanoid robot: H1. H1: The First Steps Toward a New Era
H1 wasn’t perfect. In the beginning, it could barely stand. It wobbled. It tripped. It looked very confused about being alive. But over time, we made it better, faster, stronger. We gave it advanced sensors, so it could recognize obstacles. We improved its dynamic balance, so it could walk more naturally. We developed AI systems, so it could learn how to interact with humans. For the first time, I saw a humanoid robot move the way I had always dreamed. And then, the real test came. Would anyone actually buy it? 2024: The 99,000 yuan Gamble Most humanoid robots cost millions. So when we launched G1 in 2024, people expected it to be just another super-expensive, impractical machine.
Instead, we announced a price that shocked the entire industry: 99000 yuan. (About $14,000 USD). A humanoid robot for the price of a second-hand car. The reaction was immediate. The internet exploded. Some people were excited: "Finally! A humanoid robot that normal companies can afford!" Some were skeptical: "This is too cheap. It’s probably useless." And some were terrified: "This is how the robot uprising begins." Then came the tweet that changed everything. Elon Musk himself saw our robot and posted: “The future of warfare is drones and humanoid robots.” Boom. Suddenly, everyone wanted to talk to us. Investors. Engineers. Even governments. And then, NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, personally invited me to the U.S. to showcase our work.
For the first time, I realized— We weren’t just making robots anymore. We were shaping the future. The Hard Truth About the Robotics Revolution But here’s something most people don’t understand about building humanoid robots. It’s not just about making them walk, talk, and move. It’s about making them useful. You see, a humanoid robot isn’t a toy. It’s not a gadget. It’s a tool. A machine that should make life easier. So the big question became: What should our humanoid robots actually DO? That’s where things got tricky. Some companies wanted them for manufacturing, so they could replace human workers in dangerous jobs. Some saw them as companions for the elderly, helping with daily tasks. Some imagined them as security guards, patrolling factories and
office buildings. But the truth is—we don’t know yet. We are at the very beginning of the humanoid era. The same way computers started as bulky, expensive machines before becoming part of daily life, humanoid robots are still in their early experimental phase. But one thing is certain: In 10 years, they will be everywhere. The Next Chapter: A World With Robots I believe that one day, humanoid robots will be as common as smartphones. • They’ll be in homes, helping with chores. • They’ll be in hospitals, assisting doctors and nurses. • They’ll be in offices, doing work that humans don’t want to do. And yes—one day, they might even argue with you about why you should do your homework before playing video games. Some people fear this future. But I welcome it.
Because I know that robots aren’t here to replace us. They’re here to help us. And so, as I look at my team—building the next generation of humanoid machines—I feel the same excitement I felt when my first little robot took its first step in my dorm room years ago. Except now, those steps are getting bigger. And the world is watching. (To be continued… The Ultimate Lesson in Failure and Success!) Chapter 5: The Ultimate Lesson in Failure (And Why It Never Stopped Me) Let’s get one thing straight: I have failed. A lot. I don’t mean small, embarrassing failures like forgetting someone’s name after they just told me or accidentally sending a text to the wrong person. I mean big, painful, career-threatening failures. Failures that made people laugh at me. Failures that made me question everything.
Failures that, if I had let them, could have stopped me forever. But here’s the thing. Failure is just part of the game. And if you can’t handle it? Then you’ll never get to win. How to Fail Spectacularly (My Personal Guide) Here’s a short list of my greatest failures: • Middle school: My English grades were so bad, I almost didn’t get into high school. (My teacher called me “hopeless.”) • High school: My English grades were STILL terrible, and I lost my chance to attend one of China’s top universities. • College: I applied to Zhejiang University for grad school. I got in—but my English score was too low to qualify, so I got sent to a different university instead. • Starting my company: No investors believed in me. Most people thought I was wasting my time. • Selling my first robot: No one wanted it. We built an amazing machine, and no one cared.
• Launching my humanoid robot: Investors told me, “It’s too early. No one will buy this.” Now, if I had listened to the people who doubted me… If I had let failure define me… If I had said, “Well, I guess I’m just bad at this”… I would have quit years ago. But I didn’t. Because every time I failed, I learned something. Why Failure Is Actually Fantastic (If You Know What to Do With It) Most people are terrified of failing. They think: • “If I fail, people will laugh at me.” • “If I fail, that means I’m not good enough.” • “If I fail, I should just quit.” This is nonsense. Failure is how you learn. Failure is the world’s most honest teacher.
And failure, when you use it right, is the fastest way to success. The One Secret That Got Me Through Every Failure Whenever I failed, I told myself one simple thing: “Okay. That didn’t work. What can I try next?” That’s it. No crying into a pillow. No giving up and moving to a cave. No complaining that life isn’t fair. Just: “What’s the next step?” And if you do that enough times? Eventually, you stop failing and start winning. Finding Your Passion (And Sticking With It) One day, a reporter asked me: “What do you think is the most important reason for your success?” I thought for a long time. Then I said: “I found something I loved, and I never stopped.”
That’s it. That’s the secret. No special genius. No magical talent. Just a ridiculous love for building robots and a refusal to quit. Some people are lucky. They find their passion early. Others spend years searching. But here’s what I know for sure: • If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. • If you have found it, hold on to it like your life depends on it. • And if people tell you it’s a waste of time? Smile, nod, and prove them wrong. What the Future Looks Like (And Why I Can’t Wait) I believe that in 10 years, robots will be as common as smartphones. • There will be robots in homes, helping families with everyday tasks. • There will be robots in hospitals, assisting doctors and nurses. • There will be robots in factories, doing dangerous jobs so humans don’t have to.
And yes—there will be humanoid robots that walk, talk, and maybe even argue with you when you try to skip homework. Some people are scared of this future. But I love it. Because I know robots aren’t here to replace us—they’re here to help us. And I can’t wait to see what happens next. One Last Question for You What is something you truly love? How much time are you willing to dedicate to it? Will you keep going, even when you fail? If a kid who was terrible at English can become one of the leading robotics entrepreneurs in the world… Then what’s stopping you? The End… Or Maybe Just the Beginning.
Words for Future Dreamakers 1. "There are so many smart people in the world, always someone smarter and with more resources than you. But if you continuously learn and progress daily, monthly, and yearly, you can stay ahead;
otherwise, you'll quickly fall behind." 2. "Reflecting on the years since founding Unitree Robotics, my biggest reflection is that I became a bit complacent or arrogant, thinking I had achieved some success. But in reality, if you keep learning every day, no one in this world can catch up with you." 3. "Currently, robotics and AI technology are the hottest industries globally, with almost all tech giants vigorously advancing them. So, don't doubt it. And this is just the beginning; it will only get hotter in the future. Therefore, I suggest that regardless of your major or interests, spend some time each week paying attention to the development of global AI technology in various industries. This is the greatest source of opportunities in the future." 4. "We must believe that when we find our goals, make proper plans, and maintain our efforts, life will experience a tremendous compounding effect beyond our imagination." 5. "No matter what setbacks and failures we have encountered in the
past, as long as we are still willing to strive for self-achievement, the future holds numerous opportunities to rewrite past regrets and even shape our unique stories." Note: The above excerpts are from Wang Xingxing's speech at his alma mater, Shanghai University, during the 2024 opening ceremony. After Reading 1. If Wang Xingxing had been obsessed with video games instead of robots, do you think he would have invented something different? What’s something you love that could turn into a big idea someday?
2. Imagine you have a time machine and can visit Wang Xingxing when he was 12 years old. What advice would you give him about the future? 3. If you had to design a robot to help you with one thing at school, what would it do? (Be creative—maybe a "homework negotiator" or "test whisperer"?) 4. Wang once struggled in school but later built amazing robots. If you could instantly become a genius at one thing, what would it be, and what would you do with that super skill? 5. Let’s say you’re starting your own company tomorrow. You have to pick a name, a product, and a cool slogan. What would they be? Words List 1. humanoid – A robot or being that looks and moves like a human. 2. Robotics – The study and design of robots. 3. Actuator – A part that moves a robot’s body. 4. Sensors – Devices that detect things like light or motion. 5. Kinematics – The study of how robots move.
6. Mechanism – A system of parts working together in a robot. 7. Trajectory – The path a robot follows when moving. 8. Optimization – Making a robot work better and faster. 9. Automation – Using robots to do work instead of humans. 10. Calibration – Adjusting a robot to make it work correctly. 11. Innovation – A new idea or way of doing things. 12. Engineering – Using science to build things. 13. Efficiency – Doing something with less waste. 14. Simulation – A model that copies real life. 15. Integration – Combining different parts to work together. 16. Manufacturing – Making products in large amounts. 17. Prototype – The first version of a product. 18. Algorithm – A step-by-step way to solve a problem. 19. Precision – Being very exact and accurate. 20. Artificial Intelligence – Computers that can think and learn.