China’s humanoid robot Tiangong is the first of its kind to be able to run like a human. For the field, it is a real technological revolution.
Robotics has made immense progress in just a few years. Helped by the emergence ofartificial intelligence, we are starting to see the emergence of artificial humanoids capable of chatting with us while doing the dishes. Like us, they learn and evolve to become more and more efficient. Having a “body” would also be the initial condition for considering bringing AI to a higher level. But as sophisticated as they are, robots built according to our morphology still have difficulty reproducing certain basic actions.
They are most often related to the fine motor skills, the one that allows us to grab an egg and control our strength so as not to break it for example, but not only that. The simple fact of walk like a human is a complex task for a robot. The same goes for going up or down stairs, or even avoiding obstacles that suddenly appear on our journey. And let’s not talk about run, something totally impossible for humanoid machines. Until now.
This robot is the first in the world to know how to run, the proof
In China, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center revealed his Tiangong robot. Standing 1m63 tall and weighing 43kg on the scale, he is the first in the world to be able to run. You can see it in action in the GIF below. At the moment it is reaching the speed of 6 km/h. Knowing that on average, a human walks at 4 km/hit’s more of a little trot to catch the bus before it leaves than a 100 meters at the Olympics, but it’s still a revolutionary technical feat.
Beyond that, Tiangong has computing power of 550 trillion operations per second. It is equipped with multiple sensors to simulate its vision and help it find its way in space. Even “blinded”, the robot manages to climb steps or a small slope. He also adjusts his gait if he feels that he is falling or tripping. Open source and faster than its peers, Tiangong could, among other things, help humans in rescue operations.
Source: Global Times