Chinese firm achieves agile, human-like walking with AI control

Chinese robotics startup EngineAI has developed an advanced AI-driven control system that enables humanoid robots to walk with straight legs, closely mimicking natural human gait. This innovative approach integrates human gait data, adversarial learning, and real-world feedback to refine robot movement across diverse environments, aiming to achieve more energy-efficient, stable, and agile locomotion. EngineAI’s lightweight humanoid platform, the PM01, has demonstrated impressive agility, including successfully performing a frontflip and executing complex dance moves from the film Kung Fu Hustle, showcasing the system’s potential for fluid, human-like motion. The PM01 robot features a compact, lightweight aluminum alloy exoskeleton with 24 degrees of freedom and a bionic structure that supports dynamic movement at speeds up to 2 meters per second. It incorporates advanced hardware such as an Intel RealSense depth camera for visual perception and an Intel N97 processor paired with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin CPU for high-performance processing and neural network training. This combination allows the PM01 to interact effectively with its environment and perform intricate tasks, making it a promising platform for research into human-robot interaction and agile robotic assistants. EngineAI’s work parallels other Chinese developments like the humanoid robot Adam, which uses reinforcement learning and imitation of human gait to achieve lifelike locomotion. Unlike traditional control methods such as Model Predictive Control used by robots like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, EngineAI’s AI-based framework emphasizes adaptability through real-world learning, addressing challenges in unpredictable environments. While still in the research phase, these advancements mark significant progress toward next-generation humanoid robots capable of natural, efficient, and versatile movement.