Korean humanoid nails Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk dance with AI

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a humanoid robot capable of performing advanced lower-body movements, including Michael Jackson’s iconic Moonwalk, high-speed running up to 12 km/h, and complex gait patterns such as duck walking and straight-leg bounds. A demonstration video showcases the robot’s stability and adaptability, highlighting its ability to recover from external pushes and navigate obstacles without relying on vision-based sensors. Instead, the robot uses internal sensing and AI-driven control trained via reinforcement learning to maintain balance and traverse uneven terrain, including stairs and debris. Standing 165 cm tall and weighing 75 kg, the robot’s core mechanical components—motors, reducers, and drivers—were developed in-house, ensuring technological independence. The research team successfully bridged the simulation-to-reality gap, enabling reliable real-world performance. The work will be presented at upcoming robotics conferences CoRL 2025 and Humanoids 2025. Future plans include enhancing the robot’s capabilities