14 DAY TRIAL // Regardless of what people may believe because of the movie industry, robotics aren't nearly as far along as we'd like to think. Humanoid robots can't walk, for one.
Or at least, they can't walk in any way that can be considered dignified. Instead, they resemble toddlers, small children that have only just gotten the hang of standing upright.
This may soon change, finally, thanks to researchers from the Humanoid Robotics Institute at Waseda University.
They've completely redesigned the lags of their robot, called WABIAN-2R. The bot already used a unique arched foot and moveable toes, but now there is a yaw joint too, serving as flexible ankle.
The newly christened WABIAN-2RIII has gone through standing tests so far, switching balance from foot to foot.
It will take a while for true autonomous, humanoid robots to be created, but this is definitely a step towards that goal.
Source: IEEE Spectrum