The iPhone 15 Pro would finally have physical buttons, Apple
This spooky robot can fly, walk on a wire, and even skateboard!
Caltech engineers have developed a robot capable of switching seamlessly from walking to flying. He can perform tricks that surpass those of most other robots, since he can walk, fly and even skateboard.
California Institute of Technology researchers have unveiled LEONARDO, a new bipedal robot that is agile and capable of performing complex movements. LEONARDO stands for LEgs ONboARD drOne (drone with legs).
A video shared by Pasadena Private Research University shows that the bipedal craft can fly and land to climb multiple steps, but that’s not the most impressive. Indeed, the robot can perform movements that most humans have difficulty performing, such as walking a slackline, jumping, and skateboarding.
Caltech wants to overshadow Boston Dynamics
While Boston Dynamics robots are already able to dance, parkour, jump or even run, none are yet able to fly. With a height of only 0.8 meters, the Caltech robot can alternate between walking and flying depending on the obstacles it encounters.
He owes his exceptional balance to four drone-like propellers placed on his shoulders, which not only help him correct his position, but also allow him to fly over rough terrain, stairs or other obstacles. Unlike Amazon’s Astro robot, which can kill itself on stairs, Caltech’s robot should have no problem walking over them.
For the moment, LEO still has no specific utility in the world, because it cannot carry heavy objects or carry things from one point to another due to its absence of hands. However, it will allow researchers to better study this hybrid mode of travel, which alternates between walking and flying.
After Boston Dynamics and Caltech, another company is preparing a robot that promises to be revolutionary: Tesla. Indeed, the automaker recently unveiled the Tesla Bot, a futuristic humanoid robot intended to help humans in their daily work. The 1.76 m and 57 kg robot will carry artificial intelligence already integrated into Tesla cars, and the first prototype should arrive in 2022.
