Three months have passed in a blink of an eye, and the weather has become cooler, and it is late autumn.

On the weekend, Wei Caisheng called Liu Ruiyang and asked him to come to his home for dinner and tea, and his wife missed him. Huang Ligong drove him over. Almost every time it is like this, as long as Professor Wei calls Liu Ruiyang over, Huang Ligong automatically and consciously acts as a driver.

The tall plane trees on the campus, with their golden leaves falling to the ground, squeaked when you walked on them. Parking the car in the parking lot of the family home, Huang Ligong carried a gift, walked side by side with Liu Ruiyang on the campus path, and walked a short right turn to the family building.

Hearing the doorbell ring, a middle-aged aunt opened the door. This aunt has worked in Professor Wei's house for seven or eight years, and she seems to be half of the family, and she is no stranger to Liu Ruiyang and Huang Ligong. She led them to the study.

Wei Caisheng's home is four bedrooms and two living rooms, a large living room is forcibly isolated, and a room is opened up into a large area of study, the study is flanked by a whole wall of bookcases, from the top of the wall to the ceiling, densely packed inside, full of books. The desk is next to the door, and it is clean and fresh with materials, drawings, lamps and landline phones. Opposite the desk is a coffee table and chair connected to the balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Wei Caisheng was sitting at his desk and was flipping through the materials, when he saw the two of them, pointing to the coffee table and chair, making tea by himself. Huang Ligong was not polite and began to make Pu'er tea. The master came over with the fruit, a plate of cherries, a plate of pomegranates, the pomegranates were carefully peeled one by one, they were all fruits with crystal color, Liu Ruiyang got up to take it, and the master hurriedly put it down, stretched out her hand to hold him, "Don't get up, sit, sit." She looked at her mildly and smiled pitifully, "You eat some fruit first, and then call you when the rice is ready." When he turned to leave, he gave an order to Wei Caisheng, "Old man, stop first and accompany the child." ”

No matter how she tosses outside, what she looks like, in her eyes, Liu Ruiyang will probably always be that fragile and stubborn student.

Wei Caisheng obediently turned around and asked Liu Ruiyang's physical condition. After taking a sip of tea, the topic jumped directly to the latest scientific research progress, new breakthroughs in the combination of man and machine abroad, and a company's prosthetic limbs can learn people's instinctive habits and even subconscious from nerve current signals to cooperate with and even enhance the body's ability to move. There is also an exoskeleton robot, which has been approved by the US FDA and will be launched soon.

"It is very gratifying that the trend of intelligence has shifted from black technology to increasing the well-being of human life."

Huang Ligong made a joke, "I also have an axe, and a large number of technologies and products that are changing our lives now are first from military and military research." Needless to say, nuclear energy or something, even microwave ovens are a by-product of military research. ”

"On the bright side, human beings still yearn for peace and happiness, and even if it is military and weaponry, they will eventually find ways to use it for human happiness. On the negative side, man's creative and innovative impulse originates from the elimination and subjugation of others. Liu Ruiyang added.

Wei Caisheng laughed.

"The industrial park has broken ground, right?" After the small talk, Wei Caisheng began to ask about business.

"It's already under construction." Huang Ligong said with a smile on his face. After signing the agreement, there was a lot of work, and most of his energy was on promoting the industrial park project. On the day of the start of construction, Deputy Mayor Huang Weidong personally came over and dug the first pit with Ma Xiaotao, Huang Ligong, Kong Guanghua and others. Because it is a first-class industrial project in Jiangcheng City, it was submitted to the provincial government for approval, and under the policy guidance of a manufacturing power and a good environment, the project was approved all the way to the green light. Even approval while starting work. The expropriation of collective land in the surrounding areas and the relocation of sporadic peasant households were handled smoothly and securely by the government. At the same time, the renovation project of the power engine factory is also being carried out simultaneously. In just three months, the park began to take shape. "The infrastructure madness is not in vain, China is the fastest in the world to build infrastructure, and it will be able to settle in a few months."

Professor Wei nodded, "What is the company's recent performance?" ”

Huang Ligong almost blurted out 47%. This has become the standard number for him to talk to foreign customers and corporate diplomacy, but in front of him is Wei Caisheng. "In the domestic brand market, we have accounted for a three-percent share. Our six-axis robot is the most widely used among domestic brands. Huang Ligong said honestly. This ratio should be closer to the truth. "Under normal conditions, the gross profit is around 12%."

The so-called normal situation of course refers to the case of returning to the original price. In the more than half a year before the price increase, the so-called gross profit was almost eaten away by the second-hand imported robots of Xiongye in the customer terminal.

"You know the business stuff, you just decide for yourself. However, it should be a two-legged walk, and business should not be allowed to affect R&D. To make a product, you need to be forward-looking. Wei Caisheng's gaze was like a beam of microparticle rays, sweeping over Huang Ligong and falling on Liu Ruiyang. What innovations have you made now? ”

Huang Ligong didn't speak, somewhat disapproving, thinking that enterprises naturally need to optimize and innovate products, but after all, they are not universities, and they can't innovate for the sake of innovation. The innovation of enterprises is to be market-oriented, and the current situation faced by Kunpeng is first and foremost cost-effective, the lowest price, and it is good to use enough, and innovation naturally revolves around this strategy.

"Our current innovation is more focused on application scenarios." Liu Ruiyang said.

"Mainly to support the iteration of the original algorithm?"

Liu Ruiyang couldn't help but straighten his body, as if he was back in class, facing Wei Caisheng's questioning on professional details. "Teacher, that's what I have a headache for. We have richer and more complex industrial scenarios and data, which can be iterated quickly and achieve better stability and accuracy quickly, but it is difficult to penetrate between scenes. ”

"What is the difference in operational efficiency between the accuracy maintenance and quality level under long-term operation and the top international ones?"

"At the moment, the best performing application scenarios can reach their level of 90%." Liu Ruiyang blushed a little, "It hasn't reached the international level yet." ”

Huang Ligong muttered in his heart, the level of Kunpeng robot can already kill a domestic robot in seconds. "The current positioning is to be able to use enough, and we are iteratively evolving on this basis. Small and medium-sized enterprises have different requirements for robots than large enterprises, and their requirements for cost performance are higher than those of intelligence. ”

"There have always been only two paths to scientific penetration, from top to bottom and from the outside in." Wei Caisheng took off his glasses, stood up, and gestured with his hand in the air. "A lot of repetition in the same field is certainly necessary to bring perfection and refinement, but it is difficult to penetrate."

Liu Ruiyang nodded silently, he had heard Wei Caisheng's serious words in the university laboratory back then, and now he heard it again in this scene, only to know that he didn't really understand it at the beginning. Don't let anyone limit you. The only one who can limit you is yourself. Wei Caisheng ended with this sentence back then, and he has always remembered it.

"You have to be ambitious, think about the difficult ones. For example, large storage tanks, shipbuilding and other large-scale structures will have a large number of fillet welds and round pipe welds. These welding positions are more complicated, and they are also difficult in the production of robot welding applications...... Don't circulate in the production line of small and medium-sized enterprises. ”

Huang Ligong couldn't help but be embarrassed. Wei Caisheng said a few words, and opened up the background color of Ruili Technology. Huang Ligong once let go of the cannon, and one day, Kunpeng Robot will participate in the construction of the "king of construction machinery" - shield machine. However, in fact, even the welding production of slightly larger structures such as storage tanks and ships is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

"I remember the teacher's reminder and kept thinking about it. The core technical challenge now is the application of laser seam tracking sensors. Liu Ruiyang said. Complex welding operations require vision solutions that automatically detect changes in the welding position during welding and adjust the torch to the appropriate position. At present, solutions are built around laser vision sensors, not to mention Ruili Technology, and even the famous Huapu Robot has not made substantial breakthroughs. He got up, walked to his desk, and picked up a pen and paper.

"I came up with a roundabout approach." Liu Ruiyang drew a schematic diagram on the paper, fillet weld location finding, in the absence of laser weld tracking sensor, the way to solve the problem is to find an ingenious way, develop stable and practical motion planning technology and momentum control technology, automatically calculate the movement trajectory of the robot, realize the rapid and easy deployment of the robot, and further promote the batch of robots. "As long as it is a field with certain trajectory requirements in operation, welding, spraying, palletizing, etc., can be applied."

"There's no need for manual repair welding, and there's no need for manual assisted welding." Huang Ligong interjected and asked.

Liu Ruiyang nodded, "We can support it algorithmically." ”

Huang Ligong is a little excited, this is Kunpeng's strength, so it would be good to continue to increase investment in the underlying algorithm and continue to support various trajectories and environments.

"It's ingenious, it's practical, and it solves part of the problem." Wei Caisheng's gaze softened, this proud disciple was still so creative.

"Yes. Complex operations or environments require prior analysis and refinement of trajectories and welding solutions. ”

"If the assembly accuracy and consistency are not satisfied, or if the risk of stress and deformation is high, I am afraid that the efficiency will be very poor."

Liu Ruiyang smiled bitterly and nodded, what Mr. Wei said was the crux of the matter.

The babysitter began to set the utensils on the table, and it seemed that the meal was ready. The wife glanced at the door, and saw that they were chatting more heartily, so she did not disturb and withdrew gently.

"Tracking sensors still can't be bypassed. Those are the eyes of robots, without eyes, excessive intelligence is easy to fall into blindness. Wei Caisheng knocked on the paper on the table with the diagram on it, and said in a deep voice, "What if you combine these two?" ”

"Yes!" Liu Ruiyang said a little excitedly, "The reaction speed and efficiency of automatic tracking can be significantly improved. ”

"What's more important is the cost advantage!" Huang Ligong also reacted, and his excitement was in the cost. This means that the Kunpeng robot can be equipped with a second-rate laser weld tracking sensor, but it can make a first-class automatic tracking performance. Just like the Apple phone, the powerful algorithm allows the mobile phone lens to take photos comparable to professional cameras. This is a great cost advantage, but also a great profit margin.

"Wait!" Liu Ruiyang stopped Huang Ligong's urge to talk endlessly, he flashed an idea and thought for a while. "Can we do the other way around, instead of letting the algorithm adapt to the sensor, we let the sensor adapt to the algorithm?"

"How?"

"Customize the sensor to match the strengths and strengths of the algorithm to make the most of the performance. Moreover, it is possible to do something that no one else can do. ”

Wei Caisheng patted the table, "Okay! ”

Huang Ligong was also excited, which is almost equivalent to using a third-rate sensor to make first-class performance. Immediately there was some hesitation, the future is very beautiful, and the present, it will always be that word, money. Overcoming the "eyes" of industrial robots is not easy to say, but it is also a long-term investment project. The financing money is coming, the guide funds are waiting to come in, and the company is safe for a while, but the money of the start-up company is spent much faster than expected, and the project with too long return cycle always makes people hesitate.

Liu Ruiyang and Wei Caisheng were still gesturing, saying something, with serious and focused expressions. Huang Ligong looked at the two of them and suddenly felt very far away. A strong discomfort struck, his head buzzed, his body shook, he almost fell, hot sweat poured out of his body, and then a chill, as if a person was in a high fever at the beginning of a retreat, and suddenly the world calmed down. He looked at Liu Ruiyang and Wei Caisheng in front of him in a daze, himself, himself and these two people were incompatible.

He had always prided himself on being a good general, able to control the top talents of the younger generation, and the most prestigious authorities of the older generation, but was he really using them? Is it good to use? The seriousness on their faces was almost reverent, and it was awe-inspiring, which he never possessed. They are so serious because when they speak, they don't just talk. What they say often means that in the next few years or even ten years, they will devote all their talent and enthusiasm to it, to challenge, to achieve. This is not a promise, but a life with life. As if there were eyes in the air looking at him, Huang Ligong broke out in a cold sweat. In front of them, they are more like speculators. Speculators of life.

What have you been doing in the past few months? Yes, it is very busy, promoting the construction of the park, lobbying for investment, getting it done early, and settling the guidance funds early. But what is all this for? The new factory and new environment are to run the business better, create better products, and compete with the world's first-class, and now, for him, the new plant seems to be an end in itself. Maybe he deliberately fell into the hustle and bustle to avoid the real challenge. It is necessary to seize the supply chain mentality. The ambition he had spoken of a few months earlier was just a sentence that dissipated in the night breeze that night. War has a planned layout, and only then can there be short-handed combat. As soon as they came up, they were hand-to-hand, and it was a barbarian fight. Is he ready to lead the crowd into battle?

Liu Ruiyang turned his head and looked at him with some concern, as if he had noticed his strangeness. Huang Ligong nodded and smiled at him, signaling that it was okay. He took a deep, deep breath. From this moment on, he was still the same Huang Ligong, but he was a new Huang Ligong.

"Professor Wang from Beihang University told me that a young man, Zhu Caibin, from the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Robotics, is doing vision, which is very good. He had recently returned home. Wei Caisheng said, "You go back and study it, and if you want to do it, you can meet him." ”

"Okay, thank you, teacher!" Liu Ruiyang's eyes lit up and he glanced at Huang Ligong, "Let's discuss." ”

"Nope." Huang Ligong stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to hold Liu Ruiyang, "We'll see him right away, and we'll trouble Mr. Wei to help us pull the string." If you have to go, then resolutely go for it. ”

The figure of the master and wife appeared at the door again. She always shows up exactly when the chat is over. "Old man, take the children out to dinner."