Boy robot passes agility tests
The machine ‘sweats’ to keep the motors of its muscles cool
LIKE LIFE A flexible robot named Kengoro can stretch and do such exercises as push-ups and sit-ups.
Y. Asano, K. Okada and M. Inaba/Science Robotics 2017
Robots are on their way to passing gym class.
The design of a new life-size bot named Kengoro closely resembles the anatomy of a teenage boy in body proportion, skeletal and muscular structure, and joint flexibility, researchers report online December 20 in Science Robotics. Compared with previous humanoid robots with more rigid, bulky bodies, Kengoro’s anatomically inspired design gives the bot a wide range of motion to perform humanlike, full-body exercises.
Constructed by Masayuki Inaba, an engineer at the University of Tokyo, and colleagues, Kengoro has a multi-jointed spine that allows the robot to curl into a sit-up or do back extensions. The bot’s arms are limber enough to execute various stretches or swing a badminton racket. And its artificial muscles are strong enough that Kengoro can stand
