RESEARCHERS in the US have unveiled an advanced humanoid robot with ultra-smart sensors that makes it a football pro.
It stands at four feet and eight inches tall, and can walk as far as 2.1metres per second - making it the world's fastest humanoid robot.
The robot, known as ARTEMIS, has been created by the robotics lab at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.
The team of researchers are already a five-time RoboCup champions, but are set to bring their new robot to the international competition when it returns in July.
RoboCup, which will be hosted in Bordeaux, France this year, has been running for 25years and is the world’s biggest robotics and artificial intelligence competition.
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ARTEMIS stands for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability.
But the Californian researchers joke that its name stands for 'A Robot That Exceeds Messi In Soccer'.
It was initially designed as a general-purpose humanoid robot.
But it's knack for navigating uneven terrain has made it pretty successful at playing sports.
“That is the key behind its excellent balance while walking on uneven terrain and its ability to run — getting both feet off the ground while in motion,” said Dennis Hong, a UCLA professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the director of RoMeLa.
“This is a first-of-its-kind robot.”
The running robot is thought to be only the third of its kind, and the first designed in an academic setting.
The technology US researchers crafted also means the humanoid robot makes less noise than its predecessors.
It also operates more efficiently and is cleaner than robots with hydraulic actuators, because hydraulic systems are notorious for leaking fluids, the team explained.
“We’re very excited to take ARTEMIS out for field testing here at UCLA and we see this as an opportunity to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics to a much wider audience,” Hong added.
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