EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?

Just as the tech world buzzes with new robotic advancements, another unexpected player has entered the fray. Jia Yueting, the founder of Faraday Future (FF) who has been grappling with electric vehicle production, made a surprise announcement by unveiling three Embodied AI (EAI) robots. The launch took place at the NADA Show, introducing the full-sized humanoid FF Futurist, the athletic humanoid FF Master, and the quadruped FX Aegis.

The announcement was met with immediate skepticism. This comes on the heels of Jia's new MPV, the FX Super one, facing accusations of copying the design of Great Wall Motor's Wey GaoShan. Netizens quickly pointed out that the new robots also seemed oddly familiar, with one popular comment asking, "We know about the car, but where did you source these robots from?"


FF EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?

 

A closer look at the FF Master series reveals striking similarities to the robot from Chinese startup ZHIYUAN. An AI-powered image comparison even identified it as such, noting the nearly identical eyes and body joints. The specifications are also nearly a perfect match: both the Master and the ZHIYUAN Lingxi X2 stand at 131cm, weigh 39kg, have 30 degrees of freedom (DoF), and run on an Nvidia Jetson Orin NX platform with 157 TOPS of computing power. Both also claim a two-hour walking duration and a top speed of 2 m/s. Despite claims of autonomous decision-making, Jia's robot, like many current models, fundamentally relies on remote operation.

The flagship model, the FF Futurist, is a full-sized humanoid robot standing 169cm tall and weighing 69kg. It boasts customizable skin and a display screen for a face, reminiscent of Xiaomi's Cyber One. With 40 DoF, it appears flexible, but its demonstration was limited to basic movements like walking and waving. While its official description lists a vast array of potential applications—from a multilingual concierge and sales consultant to an industrial partner and home assistant—this "all-in-one" approach feels more like a marketing pitch than a focused strategy, a style characteristic of Jia's past ventures.

 

FF EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?

 

A critical look at the technical details raises further questions. Both the Master and Futurist top out at 200 TOPS of computing power (based on NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX). This pales in comparison to competitors like Unitree's H2, which can be equipped with a Jetson AGX Thor module offering 2070 TOPS—a level of performance likely necessary for running complex embodied AI models. This choice of a "low-spec" version is probably a cost-saving measure, given FF's well-known financial constraints. Meanwhile, the quadruped robot, Aegis, is widely suspected to be an integrated product using existing solutions from the supply chain.

 

FF EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?

 

This entire launch has a strong sense of déjà vu. It mirrors Jia's strategy with LeEco, where he rapidly expanded from a streaming business into smartphones, smart TVs, and real estate, chasing every hot trend under his "eco-chemical reaction" banner without solidifying his core business. Now, as car manufacturers and tech giants like Elon Musk pivot towards embodied AI, Jia is ensuring he isn't left out, claiming he will migrate FF's EV AI algorithms to his new robots.

 

FF EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?

 

Despite claims of U.S. regulatory certification and a promise of delivery within the launch month, the reality remains uncertain. With the mass production of the FF 91 still a protracted battle, one has to wonder: are these hastily assembled robots a genuine leap forward in embodied intelligence, or are they just another grand, "suffocating" story designed to captivate investors?

 

FF EAI Robot: A Bold Leap into AI or a Familiar Tale for Investors?
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