Robot Crashes in Beijing Practice, Throwing Sparks as Autonomous Games Expose Finish-Line Flaw
Updated
Updated · Yahoo · Aug 21
Robot Crashes in Beijing Practice, Throwing Sparks as Autonomous Games Expose Finish-Line Flaw
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo · Aug 21
Summary
A humanoid robot sprinting in practice for Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games overshot the finish, slammed into a cushioned wall, fell headfirst and sent sparks flying from its hip in a viral video.
The crash appeared to stem from failed deceleration after the line, a problem also seen in Unitree's new "Superman" robot, which hit an electrical box and toppled during another training run.
This year's Aug. 22-26 competition requires robots to run fully autonomously rather than by remote control, a shift analyst Eren Chen said may be behind the string of navigation and stopping errors.
Unitree swept last year's inaugural Games with 4 gold medals, including the 100-meter race, but the latest mishaps suggest speed-focused development is still outrunning control.