Chery’s robotic car-babe Mornine to sell you an Omoda

Humanoid robots are the next big thing if we’re to believe Elon Musk and the Chinese are definitely on the same wavelength. Chinese carmaker Chery is introducing its robotic car-babe, Mornine, nowadays to guide you through the Omoda or Jaecoo showroom of the future.

She is unmistakably a female with her Coca-Cola body shape in a Star Wars Space Trooper outfit and long blond hair coming out under her helmet. She’s still walking like she has wet her pants, and although she has a human-like face made from silicone that can move and mimic human oral and facial muscles, she speaks genuine robotic English. But she can sell you a car.

Chery Automobile is China’s fifth-biggest automaker, with over 1.88 million vehicles sold worldwide last year. It will take on Belgium from January 2025 with two models, the Omoda 5 EV and the Jaecoo 7 PHEV, to be officially launched at the reborn Brussels Motor Show in January 2025 and deliverable from March.

While waiting for the official launch, Newmobility.news could already take the Omoda 5 EV, a fully electric compact SUV, on Belgian roads for a first test. The Omoda 5 EV currently sells in Spain for €37,900, a price Chery is confident will not be impacted by the EU tax of 21.3% that became in force for them last month.

Chery bought the former Nissan factory in Spain to produce the Omoda 5 EV locally with a Spanish partner for the EU market.

Most likely, Mornine won’t be there at the Brussels Motor Show to guide you on the Omoda stand already. However, Chery is serious about wanting to use a humanoid robot, not merely as a showcase of its engineering capabilities but as “a new model range that will be able to meet the needs of a new range of customers. For instance, Mornine could act as a guide, a salesperson, a receptionist or even – in later iterations – as a caregiver, guide, domestic assistant, and nurse.”

Embodied Artificial Intelligence

Chery designed Mornine in partnership with Aimoga, a Chinese technology company with expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence. According to its makers, Mornine is a bipedal robot with Embodied AI that can answer questions, respond to instructions, and assist people in a natural and human-like way.

However, ‘human-like’ is something you have to take with a pinch of salt for this first generation. She might have a pretty silicone face with her eyes hidden behind blue sunglasses, but she still talks quirky with a robot voice, and her moves aren’t as gracious yet as would be with an actual human host.

In that perspective, Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus could be a great male match for Mornine to teach how to move in an astonishingly almost supra-human way. But he’s missing the face so far to show his emotions.

The first of three phases

Mornine’s creators say that in the first phase, she will act as an information provider. She will interact with customers to answer questions and provide information. “While offering this service, the robot will increasingly learn to interact with humans and learn different accents, conversation styles, and customer needs.”

In the second phase, Mornine will use more advanced capabilities, such as visual recognition and autonomous navigation. This will include walking with customers to assist them, using her arms ‘for demonstrations or other operations’, and even helping customers with specific tasks.

In the third phase, Chery says, “Mornine will use what it has learned to become a competent assistant to its human owners. This can include childminding and education services, assisting elderly customers with home tasks, and even cleaning and cooking for her owners.”

Robot pets as a watchdog

And if that’s not enough, Morine can bring her mechanic pet, the robot dog Argos. That one – the second generation after robot dog Dorry – recognizes voices and commands, tracks movements, and performs ‘human-like actions’ such as dancing.

Chery says it will ensure interaction and entertainment for the whole family. You can walk it like a real dog, but this one has a built-in flashlight to light your path at night. You can train Argos to be a watchdog when you’re not at home. Argos can send real-time photos of the house to the mobile phone for added security.