DexForce's humanoids train in simulation, then serve coffee in more than 15 Chinese cities

In DexForce's offices, Reuters watched a simulation in which a virtual robot places objects on a table, again and again. With each attempt, the angle of its arm, the colour of the table and the objects change.

The company stresses the cost of training data. According to DexForce, a human trainer may have to repeat the same movement more than 100 times to produce examples that are precise enough.

According to Reuters, most Chinese robot makers already combine simulated and real data. DexForce leans more heavily on synthetic data, while dozens of training centres for humanoids are under construction in China, often with strong public backing.

The company, which has about 500 employees, recently raised 1 billion yuan in a Series B round, at a valuation of more than 10 billion yuan. Lenovo Capital, Lens Technology and several public funds are among the investors, according to Reuters.

DexForce's software is used by manufacturers such as Toyota, Samsung, Panasonic and Foxconn. Its humanoids, meanwhile, make coffee and serve customers in shopping centres and tourist sites in more than 15 Chinese cities.