China's first independently-developed general humanoid robot Tiangong has hit new heights with another breakthrough achievement showcasing its increasing mobility capabilities, after it successfully reached the summit of a set of steep stairs to complete an outdoor hike in a park in Beijing.
Video footage released on Monday shows the bipedal humanoid robot running along a riverside and then climbing over 100 stairs to reach the top of a hill in the Haiziqiang Park in the city's Tongzhou District, becoming the first robot of its kind to achieve such a feat in an outdoor environment, according to developers.
The outdoor tests have shown major progress in the robot's vision-based perception and locomotion abilities, including running over complex terrain and navigating obstacles such as stairs with large height differences, according to the National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, formerly known as the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics, who are developing the robot.
Equipped with what engineers describe as advanced 'brain' and 'cerebellum' systems, Tiangong can accurately perceive upcoming terrain and adjust its movements and gait in real-time, enabling it to move across diverse and uneven ground, including on sand, snow, and over slopes. It is also able to hit speeds of between six to 12 kilometers per hour, putting it on par with an average human marathon runner.
Standing at 163 centimeters tall and weighing just 43 kilograms, Tiangong was unveiled last April as the world's first full-size purely electric-driven humanoid robot and went open source in November.
As the robot itself puts its best foot forward during its stair-climbing exploits, developers are also striving to take more innovative steps in the future.
"We are looking forward to more breakthroughs in humanoid robots in the future, not just in terms of technology and technical demonstrations. We are eager to see humanoid robots deployed in high-value application scenarios," said Wei Jiaxing, head of public relations for the center.
Authorities in Beijing have also pledged continued support for enterprises which are driving innovation and promoting the application of sci-tech developments.
"We will strengthen guidance and resource empowerment for these innovation bases, focusing on cutting-edge fields like AI robotics and commercial aerospace. We aim to accelerate the cooperation between large enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises to deepen the application of digital technologies, and foster a collaborative innovation ecosystem across the entire industrial chain," said Su Guobin, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.
Chinese humanoid robot conquers steep outdoor staircase to show off increased mobility
