Advancements in Chinese humanoid robots pave way for companion robotics (Voice_over) Walking through Shenzhen's technology district, this robot is getting a lot of attention. The PM01 is the creation of Engine AI, a startup with its office here. At 138cm tall, and weighing around 40kg, the robot can walk continuously for four hours. It is designed to look physically strong, but the company is also focusing on its emotional side. (Sound_bite) Zhao Tongyang, Founder and CEO, EngineAI: "It's not just a machine, we want it to feel like a human. That's why our robot walks naturally. In the future, we hope its performance will be such that It will know your joys and sorrows. We should be able to achieve this in three years. When you chat with it, you won't be able to tell if there is a soul inside its body. We believe that is what success looks like." (Voice_over) The PM01 made international headlines, when EngineAI released this video of it performing a front-flip, a world first, which took the company ten days of learning to achieve. (Sound_bite) Ren Guowen, Co-founder, EngineAI: "The first significant progress is in the power joint itself. It can now support high-dynamic movements. The second aspect is in motion control. We are currently using reinforcement learning and imitation learning. These technological methods have greatly accelerated the research and development process." (Voice_over) The robot could have widespread applications, from helping in disaster zones, where they can navigate through rubble, fire-fighting and carrying rescue equipment. But human companionship is the ultimate goal, and EngineAI hopes to give them cognitive abilities soon. (Sound_bite) Ren Guowen, Co-founder, EngineAI: "We believe that a humanoid robot should have an emotional connection with humans. In this way, we can say that we have endowed it with a soul. This is the ultimate form we aim to achieve." (Voice_over) While that ultimate goal may be up for philosophical debate, the speed in which China's robotics companies are progressing in humanoid robot design is remarkable to see. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]