Five things to know about China’s first robot PhD student

With a height of 1.75 meters, weighing 32 kilograms, and dressed in a crisp blue shirt, the robot is about to spend four years training not in engineering, but in digital performance design.

Here are five things you need to know about this groundbreaking project:

1. It is pursuing a degree in stage performance

Xueba 01 isn’t studying robotics, it’s enrolled in a PhD programme at STA’s Department of Stage Design, where it will learn the fundamental movements, routines, and performance techniques of traditional Chinese operas. 

2. A collaboration between art and technology

The program is jointly run by STA and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST). While USST focuses on technical training and knowledge, STA cultivates artistic expression. The goal is to create experimental training methods for embodied AI agents that combine human creativity with machine intelligence, Xinhua reports.

3. Built with cutting-edge robotics

Xueba 01 is an optimised version of Xingzhe No. 2, a humanoid that once placed third in Beijing’s robot half-marathon. It uses a tendon-based bionic structure and advanced facial technology, capable of performing over 100 lifelike expressions and interacting with audiences in real time.

4. Already learning opera

Currently, the robot can “sing” segments from Henan Opera, Shanghai Opera, and Peking Opera. But its movements still lack smoothness and artistry. Supervisors use motion capture to record human performers’ gestures and expressions, creating training datasets to refine their performances. In the future, authorities say it may learn directly from video footage.

5. Exploring the future of art and AI

For its supervisors, the project isn’t just about creating a high-performing robot, it’s about redefining how art and AI intersect. STA President Huang Changyong says the mission is to explore how traditional Chinese art forms can integrate with artificial intelligence.