Chinese robotics start-up EngineAI has showcased its latest breakthrough – a frontflip – the first such movement demonstrated by a humanoid robot in the world.
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After flinging its arms forward, the machine bounced, flipped forward, and then landed in almost the same spot. It then stumbled forward a few steps to complete the entire frontflip, according to a video posted on the company’s YouTube channel on Sunday.
It represents another step forward for the robotics industry after American giant Boston Dynamics first achieved a robotic backflip in 2017, jumping from on top of a box to the ground, and Chinese start-up Unitree succeeded in making its machine do a back somersault on the ground last year.
Unlike Boston Dynamics and Unitree, which used a full-size robot for the movements – 1.5 meters and 1.8 meters tall, respectively – EngineAI used its shorter PM01 model, with a height of 1.38 meters.
Nevertheless, front flips are more challenging as they require “higher demand on the robot’s dynamic balance, instantaneous acceleration and precise landing”, according to state-backed newspaper Science and Technology Daily.
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