If a gymnastics contest is ever launched for humanoid robots, we’re probably looking at the gold medalist right here.
In a new video (below) released this week by robotics specialist Unitree, its G1 humanoid robot is shown performing a number of flips and other moves before showing off various kung-fu moves — another sport it could probably do well in.
It’s all very impressive, with the 130-centimeter-tall robot exhibiting truly astonishing agility and balance for such a complex piece of kit.
But a peek at the comments accompanying the video suggest that while some folks may be wowed by the footage, it’s starting to feel like we’ve seen it all before (because we have).
An increasing number of people are keen to know more about how the current crop of humanoid robots can be useful in a practical, real-world sense, like performing chores about the house.
“Can it do the laundry and put it away?” one commenter asks, while another wants to know if the G1 can fetch it a cold beer from the fridge.
“I just want it to do my laundry and clean my house, I don’t want a killing machine at my home,” says another.
It could just be that Unitree shares these videos because of their ability to turn heads and get people engaged, but the G1 has a lot more to it than a few fancy moves.
For example, Unitree’s humanoid robot incorporates computing smarts that enable it to run AI algorithms for real-time decision-making and reinforcement learning, enabling it to do things like navigate an environment without human intervention, tailor its behavior to better serve the needs of customers or colleagues, or spot when an intervention is required, whether for a human in need or a faulty machine that needs attention.
The Unitree G1 humanoid robot is available for purchase (it appeared briefly in Walmart’s online store last week for $21,600) and is currently pitched as a low-cost, versatile platform targeted mainly at research institutions, universities, industrial developers, and robotics enthusiasts interested in AI development and automation. But Unitree also envisions it being used in industrial settings, carrying out various tasks in locations like factories and warehouses, agriculture and farming, and even search and rescue operations, among other scenarios.
The market for humanoid robots is expected to expand hugely in the coming years, with increasingly advanced technology giving the robots even more skills and capabilities. But mass deployment in the workplace still feels a long way off.
As for robot home helpers, if it’s the laundry you want taken care of then Figure’s humanoid robot appears to be the one to watch.
