On February 25th, at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the "Beijing 8-Minute Performance," directed by Zhang Yimou, once again amazed the world. The performance, featuring 24 mobile robots from Siasun and 26 dancers, pushed the entire show to a climax. Traditional and culturally rich Chinese culture and modern, charming artificial intelligence achieved a perfect fusion, showcasing a rapidly developing, technologically advanced, and inclusive contemporary China to the world.

　　A Hall-of-Fame Performance Where Millimeters Determine Success or Failure

 

With only 90 seconds for set changes, precise interaction between 24 mobile robots and dancers, and 16 complex robot motion plans, this was the largest-scale mobile robot performance ever seen worldwide. The mobile robots carried LCD display units and needed to cooperate with the dancers to complete a series of elegant and complex stage movements, with zero tolerance for error—even a one-second delay or movement deviation from a single robot would have caused the entire performance to fail.

 

　　A Sudden "National Mission"

　　Initially, the "Beijing 8-Minute Performance" concept did not include robots. Six months before the performance, the director team unexpectedly found Siasun and finalized a new plan incorporating mobile robots. Therefore, the research, development, and production cycle from project planning to robot rehearsal was less than four months. From the moment they received the task, the Siasun mobile robot team felt the weight of responsibility. "Representing China, we could only succeed, not fail." From technological breakthroughs to the completion of the first prototype, and finally to the joint debugging of all performance equipment, time was extremely precious for this young team. Their daily struggle was to transform seemingly impossible requirements into reality through their wisdom and hard work.

　　Driven by Artistic Pursuit and Technological Rigor

　　As a world-renowned provider of mobile robot products and solutions, Siasun's series of mobile robot products have already gained a strong reputation in the automotive, power, and intelligent logistics industries. However, unlike factory manufacturing environments, the biggest challenge for performance robots comes from the diversity of movement postures and the need for high synchronization with the actors' performances, music, ground projections, and stage lighting. Traditionally, factory mobile robots prioritize efficiency, precision, and speed, resulting in movement paths primarily consisting of straight lines and arcs, with acceleration and deceleration curves resembling a regular trapezoid. However, to achieve the complete stage design, straight lines and arc turns are insufficient; the robots need to rotate and draw perfect arcs like ballet dancers, all while coordinating with multiple other robots.

　　Outdoor performances present another challenge for mobile robots due to the more complex natural environment. During the Winter Olympics closing ceremony, Pyeongchang experienced strong winds and cold temperatures, and the performance venue was not level, introducing uncertainties to the robots' operation.

　　The robots' "eyes"—the laser navigation system—faced even more stringent conditions: the robots were nearly 100 meters from the stage's environmental references, and the performance venue was crowded. Ensuring the robots could see accurately was a significant challenge. The slightest deviation could cause the robots to lose their way. Siasun's mobile robot team developed a new navigation control algorithm to ensure accurate positioning and movement even with frequent actor movement and complex lighting conditions.

　　Communication was another major challenge. Due to the presence of several heads of state at the closing ceremony, most wireless frequency bands were blocked, including several used by the robots. Technicians had to find alternative solutions and upgrade the robots' communication systems to ensure they could receive instructions.

　　National Pride Fueled Our Progress

　　"Our innovations and technological breakthroughs represent China's robotics industry pushing the boundaries of global technology," said project leader Zhang Lei. "I never imagined we could achieve so many technological breakthroughs in such a short time. Besides our team's excellent creativity, I believe it's largely due to the motivation of serving our country." A sense of national responsibility drove Siasun's young team to deliver a satisfactory result through countless sleepless nights.

　　A strong nation is built on innovation, and its weight rests on responsibility. Siasun's commitment to continuous independent innovation and its mission to lead the rise of national industries have allowed us to repeatedly challenge high-end industrial and global robotics frontiers, using our wisdom to safeguard China's development.