Autonomous Humanoid Robot Shadow-Boxes with Limited Kung Fu Proficiency
Stanford Humanplus
Researchers at Stanford University’s lab adapted a Unitree H1 humanoid robot, equipping it with modifications and employing a webcam to mimic human movements.
This training method enables the robot, named HumanPlus, to autonomously perform tasks typically undertaken by humans, including chores like folding laundry. Zipeng Fu, Qingqing Zhao, and Qi Wu led the development of HumanPlus near Palo Alto, CA, using a comprehensive system to facilitate the robot’s learning process from human actions.
“We begin by training a foundational policy in simulation using reinforcement learning and utilizing established 40-hour datasets of human motion. This policy is then applied in real-world settings, enabling humanoid robots to track human body and hand movements in real time using only an RGB camera, a technique known as shadowing.”
Diverse Demonstrations and Autonomous Functions of the HumanPlus Robot
The HumanPlus website showcases over a dozen video demonstrations of the robot’s capabilities in shadowing, including activities such as playing the piano and ping pong. It also highlights autonomous functions such as jumping, typing, and even greeting other robots with a handshake.
Despite being slow, awkward, and somewhat clumsy in its movements, this humanoid robot is commercially available for approximately $90,000.
Stanford researchers have enhanced theirs with additional components, bringing the total cost to around $107,945, incorporating hands from Inspire-Robots, wrists from Robotis, and Razer webcams as eyes, providing it with 33 degrees of freedom.
Train Your Own HumanPlus Robot
However, all the code used to develop HumanPlus is openly accessible on GitHub. With sufficient expertise and financial investment, anyone can potentially train their own 5’11” (180 cm), 104 lb (47 kg) robotic assistant in their garage.
Notably, the H1 holds a world record for speed, capable of running at 7.4 mph (11.9 kph) and performing backflips.
We must admit, it doesn’t appear to be very skilled at boxing.
Although humanoid robot technology currently appears unsteady, it’s still in the early stages of development, comparable to a young child learning to walk.
Numerous companies anticipate significant advancements in this field in the near future, potentially sparking a revolution that could eventually render human labor obsolete.
Read the original article on: New Atlas
