Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

The AI-powered guide machine at the Chapter 676 press conference
In mid-August, the annual Zhiyun Autumn Product Launch was held, and as usual, Xu Shenxue personally hosted the event.

Before the press conference, Xu Shenxue did not immediately release the S22 series mobile phone products, but instead introduced several new products.

For example, the new generation of smart home hosts is unique in the world because it is different from ordinary computer hosts. It is actually a small artificial intelligence computing center.

It is equipped with a high-performance CPU and APO graphics card, and its main purpose is to provide computing power support for many artificial intelligence devices in the home, such as providing computing power support for robot vacuum cleaners in the home.

A typical use case is when customers customize and install a large number of sensors, such as cameras, inside their homes.

The home smart hub collects and processes this sensor information, and then directs and coordinates the operation of various smart home devices.

It can be understood as a low-cost, small, low-power home computing server.

However, even with low cost, it's not actually cheap. The price of this home smart host ranges from over 100,000 to 1.8 million... The exact price depends on the specifications of the APO graphics card used.

If it uses the latest APO6000/120GB graphics card, the graphics card alone would cost 350,000 yuan... You can imagine how expensive a home smart host equipped with such a graphics card would be.

For a quad-card model, the cost of the graphics card alone would be 1.4 million. If you add other costs and sell it for 1.8 million, the Zhiyun Group can say: "We didn't make much money from consumers!"

Consumers can actually configure the hardware themselves, or simply buy a GT server from Zhiyun Cloud Computing to provide computing power for various smart home devices, but this is something most people can't do.

This smart home hub comes with a bunch of ecosystem software and also has a built-in artificial intelligence model system. Users only need to purchase various smart home devices that support the smart home hub to use it. The connection is very simple and convenient.

Customers don't need professional computer skills to handle complex deployments and debugging!
For example, the AI ​​assistant on the upcoming S22 series phones can easily connect to a home smart home hub to access its powerful computing capabilities and perform various complex AI operations on the phone... or rather, perform these complex calculations on the home hub and then output the results to the phone.

Along with the smart home hub, a new generation of robotic vacuum cleaners and other smart home appliances were also released, along with information on some models that are compatible with and supported by leading home appliance manufacturers.

In the field of smart home appliances, Zhiyun Group does not do everything itself. It is even gradually abandoning the smart TV business. Instead, it cooperates with leading home appliance manufacturers to provide artificial intelligence modules and ecosystem interfaces. These manufacturers then launch artificial intelligence home appliance products, which can be easily integrated into Zhiyun Group's smart home scenarios. This enriches the entire ecosystem, expands the range of choices for consumers, and Zhiyun Group itself makes a lot of money.

After the release of some regular products, Xu Shenxue began to introduce a rather unusual product that resembled AR glasses:
"The next product is quite special; it's designed for people with severe visual impairments and those who are completely blind." (Thanks to reader 'Why Take It So Seriously' for the suggestion)

According to some research institutions, 360 million people worldwide suffer from severe visual impairment or complete blindness, which seriously affects their daily lives and work, especially when traveling!

"Although people have made many efforts for the visually impaired, such as the availability of guide dogs to help them get some guidance, it is still not enough!"

"Zhiyun Group has always aimed to improve people's quality of life and provide a high-level technological lifestyle for everyone!"

"We firmly believe that technology should serve everyone!"

“In the past, our mobile phones and other products have provided various assistance options, including those for the visually impaired and the hearing impaired.”

“We have also developed oral manipulation devices for people with physical disabilities, enabling them to use various smart terminal devices smoothly.”

"And today, we are also bringing a brand new device designed to provide visually impaired people with a new option, a better quality of life, and a better travel experience."

"We hope they can travel freely and without barriers!"

"This is the device I'm holding now, 'Yun AIVN,' a real-time voice navigation product based on artificial intelligence technology!"

As Xu Shenxue spoke, a PowerPoint presentation began to appear on the large screen behind him, showing some of the device's basic structure.

"It has a very lightweight helmet that is so light that you won't feel much pressure when you wear it. And there are professional-grade waterproof high-definition cameras deployed on the four sides in front of the helmet!"

"These cameras will become the eyes for the visually impaired!"

“Directly in front of Yun AIVN, we have also deployed a miniature low-power LiDAR and an infrared camera to provide more accurate 3D map building and guide users to perform more precise actions. The infrared camera can provide clear images in low-light or nighttime environments.”

"The helmet is connected to a backpack-style mini-host via a wired connection. To ensure long battery life, we provide a backpack-style mini-host with a built-in high-capacity solid-state battery, which can provide the entire system with up to 24 hours of full-power operation time."

"We also offer a portable version that can fit in your pocket and provides three hours of full-power battery life. In energy-saving mode, the runtime can be extended to six hours."

"The host is equipped with an LS5 intelligent computing chip, which is our new generation of mobile terminal computing chip. It integrates large-scale data processing and artificial intelligence computing power. It effectively combines the powerful functions of the EYQ chip and the ZY chip and achieves amazing low power consumption to meet the computing power needs of various portable devices!"

"This powerful L S5 AI chip can provide strong data processing capabilities and computing power for model execution!"

"Thanks to the powerful computing capabilities of the LS5 chip, the entire system can efficiently process and analyze various sensor information in real time, and finally transmit the analysis results to the user via voice!"

"In other words, it can use voice to tell users in real time what they see and what is happening!"

"Moreover, it doesn't just simply depict the scene... but intelligently selects important information to be broadcast first. For example, when a vehicle is approaching from the front, the system will broadcast that information first, and at the same time, it will quickly broadcast other nearby information that can be used for reference!"

"It will become your eyes!"

"Users can communicate with the system via voice to obtain more detailed information!"

"The system is also connected to the Yun AI interface, which can search the Yun AI database and publicly available online information in real time based on user questions and provide feedback on user questions!"

As Xu Shenxue spoke, a video demonstration was continuously playing on the large screen behind him, featuring equipment images and animated demonstration scenes.

"Next, we will invite a volunteer who has been blind for many years to come on stage for a practical demonstration. He is a highly skilled engineer in our company who unfortunately lost his sight in a car accident two years ago!"

Next, a staff member guided a young man onto the stage. When he took off his sunglasses, you could see that his eye sockets were sunken.

Then, the staff helped him put on the helmet and put a small backpack on his back, and then simply pressed the start button on the side of the helmet!

"For ease of use, the helmet has a very convenient one-button start button. No settings or adjustments are required. Once started, the entire system will enter visual navigation mode!"

"To facilitate daily use by visually impaired individuals, the cable interface is also very simple. We have grouped cables with different functions together, so that the helmet and the main unit can be connected by a single cable, avoiding unnecessary tangling of multiple cables."

"Charging is also very convenient. The small host can be charged by wired or wireless charging. Just place it on the wireless charging base for efficient charging. When the host and the wireless charging base are within a certain distance, the wireless charging base will sense the host and issue a voice guidance to remind the user to place it correctly!"

"Now, let's see how users actually use it!"

Then, a sweet electronic voice rang out in the venue.

"Yun AIVN is happy to assist you. My name is Aina, and you can also name me anytime!"

"I will provide you with voice-guided information about your surroundings. You can turn your head to move and use the front-facing LiDAR and infrared camera to obtain more accurate map information and night vision information. I will provide real-time information based on your head movements!"

"Feel free to ask me any questions!"

"Right now, you are at the Zhiyun Group's press conference, and you are on stage facing the audience!"

At this moment, the person wearing the device turned their head and looked to the left.

The electronic voice promptly announced: "There is a young man facing you six meters ahead!" At this moment, the experimenter whispered, "Anna, is that Chairman Xu? What is he doing?"

Electronic voice: "According to publicly available information, there is a 99% probability that it is Xu Shenxue, the president of Zhiyun Group. He is looking at you with a smile."

At this moment, Xu Shenxue also explained in time: "It will search for public information online and compare various images, but it is only limited to public information and public figures. You don't have to worry that it will be able to call out the names of everyone it sees!"

"Users can have the system tag and record the information and characteristics of the people they see, so that the system can remember them and directly say their names the next time it sees them!"

"Please note that our system does not store anyone's photos. The system only records comparative feature information to help remind users what they have seen. This feature information cannot be restored into a complete image and is stored only in a local, randomly encrypted storage chip. No individual or organization can crack it to ensure that it does not infringe on the privacy of others!"

At this moment, the experimenter waved in Xu Shenxue's direction: "Chairman Xu, hello!"

Xu Shenxue waved and said, "Hello, thank you for your hard work in giving the demonstration!"
The electronic voice also randomly played a message: "He's waving at you!"

Then, the experimenters took a few steps forward, and when they were about two meters away from Xu Shenxue, the electronic announcement promptly sounded: "Two meters away!"

At this point, the experimenter stopped: "I'm very happy that the company developed this Yun AIVN for us, and I'm also very happy to demonstrate this product!"

Next, the researchers conducted more experiments. He even walked down the stage with stairs on his own without any guidance, and then went to the audience to greet and talk to people!

During this process, the audience can hear his conversation with the Yun AIVN system. The system always provides him with timely information broadcasts, allowing him to understand the surrounding situation.

At first glance, his actions seemed no different from those of a normal person... except that they were a bit slow, since the system used voice to broadcast, and voice broadcasting takes time... Even though the system had intelligently selected and broadcast key information, there was still a 'delay'.

Furthermore, it was discovered that because the helmet had cameras in the front, back, left, and right, he didn't even need to turn around to know that someone was approaching from behind...

People can only see information in front and to the sides, but this system can provide 360-degree images.

Furthermore, thanks to its high-precision miniature lidar, it can guide even more precise movements, directing him to shake hands with people.

The system is equipped with three sensors: a high-definition camera, an infrared camera, and a lidar sensor. These sensors provide sufficient information perception and timely feedback to the experimenters.

Of course, the most important thing is not these superficial things, but the LS5 chip located in the host and the more core AIVN artificial intelligence system.

The artificial intelligence system inside is the soul of the system; it's what enables efficient processing of this information and feedback.

During the press conference, many netizens watching online were shocked by what they saw.

"This thing is simply a godsend for the blind!"

"With it, I can travel freely. It feels even more useful than a guide dog!"

That's indeed the case. After all, guide dogs only lead the way; they can't talk to you about what's around you or what's happening. But this system can tell you all the information about your surroundings... although the voice broadcast mode causes a bit of a delay!

However, this still allows for a different kind of 'seeing'.

It's like having someone by your side explaining things to you at any time.

"I want to buy one for my mom. She's been blind for over a year. With this, she can see again!"

"I just don't know how much this will cost!"

Many netizens who watched the live broadcast of the press conference had family members or friends who were blind, and they immediately became very interested in this product after seeing it.

Some people were making phone calls while watching the press conference: "Linzi, look at Zhiyun's press conference. They released a navigation product for the blind today. It looks amazing. Your sister is blind, right? This thing will allow your sister to go out alone."

On the other end of the phone, a young man immediately jumped out of bed: "Really? I'll go check it out!"

I immediately opened ByteDance Video on my phone and quickly found Zhiyun's press conference live stream.

After watching for a while, he said, "Seriously, this thing looks pretty awesome. I want to get one for my sister!"

As he muttered to himself, he checked his bank card balance. He had just started working and his salary wasn't high. He also had to support his siblings' living expenses, so it was difficult to save money. He only had a little over five thousand yuan in balance.

Then he kept watching the press conference, saying, "I hope it's not too expensive, not too expensive!"

At this point, Yun AIVN's demonstration was coming to an end, and Xu Shenxue directly announced the product's sales information on stage.

"This product will be launched in various countries gradually, and pre-orders in China will begin at midnight tonight on the official website!"

"Due to the special nature of the product, our company has decided to treat this project as a non-profit project, so the product price will be more favorable!"

"The portable version is priced at only 1999 yuan."

"The backpack-style main unit version is priced at only 2399 yuan."

"In addition, we have partnered with the Zhiyun Disabled Persons Special Charity Fund. Blind people from impoverished families in China can submit relevant supporting documents to apply for special subsidies. The subsidies are divided into three levels of fee reductions, with the highest level being full exemption!"

"Yun AIVN is a gift from Zhiyun to visually impaired people around the world. We hope you like it!"

This price is a complete loss for the Yun AIVN project. Not to mention the initial R&D costs, the hardware costs alone are not low.

That LS5 computing chip isn't cheap.

Adding in other costs, if Yun AIVN is sold for only 1999 yuan, Zhiyun Group will basically not make a single penny... At most, it can only maintain a low profit, and then use these low profits to maintain the normal research and development and upgrading of subsequent products.

However, as mentioned before, it is a non-profit project, not for profit, but to benefit the blind community worldwide, and incidentally enhance the company's reputation.

For a top-tier multinational corporation like Zhiyun Group, various charitable expenditures are indispensable!
The company spends billions of yuan annually on various charitable expenditures... and most of these charitable projects are for the purpose of enhancing the company's reputation, advertising, or simply exchanging benefits with some overseas politicians.

However, it is undeniable that Zhuyun Group spends billions of yuan on charity every year.

The Yun AIVN project is one of the many charitable projects within the Zhiyun Group, but it takes the form of a product.

In any case, for Zhiyun Group, all kinds of technologies are very mature, and various components do not need to be specially developed. They can be directly assembled. The biggest cost is training the artificial intelligence model in Yun AIVN, but it can also refer to a large number of other big data models in the company. Moreover, the company's computing power cost is also low.

Ultimately, the additional R&D costs were not high.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After Xu Shenxue announced the price at the press conference, a young man in a rented room in a certain city couldn't help but shout, "Thank goodness, two thousand yuan, I can afford it!"
Then he quickly walked out of the room and shouted, "Mom, I'm buying you a guide machine. That way, when I go to work, you can move around more easily at home, and you can even go downstairs by yourself!"

(End of this chapter)