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KAIST Developing Star Wars Walker! (Video)

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by Aaron Saenz on December 9th, 2009

Cue up The Imperial March, warn the rebels on Hoth, and slice open a Tan tan, Korean researchers have developed a robot that resembles those walking death machines from Star Wars. It’s called the HUBO FX-1. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) specializes in humanoid robots (HUBO-2 is a competitor with ASIMO) and the HUBO FX-1 is essentially a chair on a pair of robot legs. A human sits on top using a joystick to maneuver the robot around at a slow walk. Describing this thing doesn’t really do it justice. Check out the video after the break.

There's a family resemblance, wouldn't you say?

There's a family resemblance, wouldn't you say?

It isn’t the first robotic chair we’ve seen, but at just over two meters tall and weighing 150 kg, the FX-1 is certainly the biggest. And the FX-1 just looks cooler than the OmniZero9 we saw at the 16th Robo-one competition, or the Panasonic mobile bed-chair. According to their website, KAIST hopes to use the FX-1 as a means of transporting the elderly, helping after accidents and disasters, and heavy lifting in an industry setting. The walker probably isn’t fast enough for military applications, but KAIST intends to speed up the robot’s pace. They also plan on giving the robot its own built-in battery, the ability to climb stairs, and increased carrying capacity – the robot can lift around 100 kg (220 lbs) for now. I’m not sure if the FX-1 will ever make it out of the lab, but it’s a great example of how man and machine may one day work together…to make nerds everywhere squee with delight.

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HUBO-2 Robot Shows Off (Video)

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by Aaron Saenz on November 19th, 2009

The Beatles and The Monkees. Scooby-Doo and Josie and The Pussycats. Transformers and Gobots. It seems like whenever someone creates something amazing, someone else has to copy it. But what happens when the copy is as good as the original? The humanoid robot or HUBO from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) may seem like a copy of ASIMO. It was made later, has the same astronaut look to its design, and performs many of the same cutesy tasks. It’s even the exact same height (130cm). Yet the latest version, HUBO-2, has the range of motion and the mobility to dance, shake hands, and even play with a sword. Is it a copy, or just an example of brilliant robotic engineers thinking alike? Watch the video after the break and judge for yourself.

HUBO (left) has many of the characteristics of ASIMO (right) but that's to be expected from two humanoid robots. Right?

KAIST's HUBO (left) has many of the characteristics of Honda's ASIMO (right) but that's to be expected from two humanoid robots. Right?

Humanoid robotics is sort of like general artificial intelligence. There have been some amazing strides in narrow application robotics (such as Adept Quattro), and narrow AI (artificial writers), but the race to create human-like intelligence and bodies is still a long ways off. ASIMO and HUBO are two of the few high profile and well funded private programs actually chasing the dream of robots that can move and interact with people as an equal. Their successes, then, are typically unique in the field. ASIMO has had break-throughs in the level of complex human tasks it can accomplish. HUBO put on Albert Einstein’s face and interacted with people with help from Hanson Robotics. With enough time, effort, and money, it seems like that one of these two projects will eventually create a robot that can fully mimic human actions and find a role in human society. Companion bots may seem like just another science fiction fantasy, but these humanoid robotics programs are taking steps in that direction.

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