Smartphones have crossed into robotic territory.
Chinese brand Honor used the opening red carpet of the Shanghai International Film Festival to debut its Robot Phone, a device that marries AI interaction with a high-resolution camera that extends from the phone body like an antenna, moves on its own, and retracts when not in use.
The phone served as the official imaging partner of the festival. Ellemen, Shanghai IFF’s official fashion and lifestyle partner magazine, used it to shoot a series of short films featuring the 21 Golden Goblet jury members, headed by Tony Leung Chiu-wai. It also covered the red carpet, the opening night banquet and backstage moments throughout the event.
The Robot Phone marks Honor’s first collaboration with Arri, the global cinematic camera technology company. Its capabilities include all-angle AI video calls that track the user through robotic motion control, plus a three-axis gimbal stabilization system built for smooth capture in dynamic environments.
“Today, consumer smartphones have already become a serious tool in professional filmmaking, being used on blockbusters across the globe. That’s why we believe it is time to bring these worlds even closer together,” said David Bermbach, Arri’s managing director.
Honor announced in May at Cannes that the phone would go on sale to the public in Q3. The company, formerly a Huawei sub-brand, has been pushing AI-driven hardware across categories: in April, its humanoid robot Lightning completed the Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon in 50’26”, clearing the human world record of 57’20” set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March.
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