Graceful, Slim HRP-4 Humanoid Robot Unveiled; Destined for Menial Labor

They have been promising "robots" for decades but they are more focused on the cheesy remote control type large "toys" that can only lift a pound and look pretty, instead of developing software with intelligence!

I mean come on, when you look at the FLOPS/sec rating of todays CPUs you wonder why the heck we don't have anything really cool like REAL robotic servants!

This looks more like a soldier than a helper. The only aplication for this thing will be military. Slap armor on it with a gun and send it to Iraq.

I'm really wondering when the Japanese are going to abandon that leg/walking design. I've seen the same walk cycle for years, and have seen no improvement in the basic walking skills. No actually walking (just step pivot, step pivot, step pivot), No trip recovery or apparent ability to deal with complex terrain. These are not practically applicable as almost anything other than a toy.

The only significant steps towards real-world robots I've seen are the Darpa funded stuff in the US (IE big dog/petman). They're the only ones that seem to show realistic locomotion abilities (variable speed human gates with smooth transition, trip recovery, kick-test recovery, variable terrain handling, etc.)

Whenever I see these Japanese efforts I just want to walk up and give it the kick test, see how well it would do. It's kind of sad, Japan used to be years ahead of the US in robot design, and now they seem stuck in the 90s.

@Enammy It is crazy the things money for war get spent on, isn't it? Not that I'm complaining. Each time DARPA spends money I just wait to see what happens.

I cool robot would have said give me my ball, or snatched from his hands with lighting quick speeds

Well, it is very graceful...

awesome, now stick some of these robots in desert style camo gear; place in remote controlled humvees; & let them be the ones to be taken out by roadside bombs;or insurgents

Sadly, HRP-4 was later beaten by his jealous, less nimble brothers.

actually i would prefer my robot to look like hes wearing a uniform then to trying to be human like. i want a robot that looks like a robot. this one is perfect. will they hurry up and make them perfect already. i wish i could live another 200 years.

@drinny

I might if they get it done. but maybe 203 because id like to see 2200 and not 2197

@wildcat :D

this robot is interesting, but consider that this is commercial sales, scaled down from what military could pocess and in that, jesus did say you would not believe what they have.

@moezart
it couldn't use the gun becaus ethe 1st law of robotics prohibits a robot from harming a human, unless it were programmed w/ the zeroth law (a robot may not harm humanity or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm) even then, how could it tell friend from foe?