Firm on the brink of harnessing a robot brain

Horizon Robotics is currently developing brain chips for robots and aims to be the Intel of the robotic age, said company founder Yu Kai.

He said Horizon's robot chips are vastly different from most computer chips, which he said "cannot handle very complex tasks". His company's chips, on the other hand, will be used for a robot's perception and interaction.

He founded the company in June after resigning from Baidu. Other co-founders of the startup have worked for Google, Facebook, Nokia and Huawei.

Yu said he started the company because he wanted to realize his vision of helping create more intelligent products.

He said Horizon's products will enable robots to do complex tasks such as operating a coffeemaker to make a cup of coffee.

He said he believes all consumer electronic goods, such as vehicles, home appliances and toys, will eventually become an automated robotic machine. Horizon, he added, will design different chips to revolutionize these goods.

The company has signed partnerships with several large Chinese manufacturers and its first products will be launched at the end of the year.

"We will first center on household products. Our chips will be used in home appliances and toys," Yu said.

Chip-related companies including ARM Holdings have expressed a desire to cooperate with Horizon, Yu said.

He said a big issue that many Chinese semiconductor businesses face is a lack of key intellectual properties. Horizon, on the other hand, has begun to create its own designed products since its establishment.

"We are applying for patents and formulating a patent plan," Yu said.