Buzz
Bipedal Cassie, a recent droid, establishes a Guinness World Record for sprinting 100 meters as a bipedal robot. Although its speed falls short of professional track athletes, it signifies a breakthrough in scientific and technological progress. So, if you ever dream of a bipedal robot chasing you, rest assured, you're still ahead.
Bipedal Cassie, an AI product developed by Agility Robotics, a subsidiary of Oregon State University, achieves this feat. Introduced in 2017, Bipedal Cassie serves as a platform for future robotics research. Continuously upgraded, it completed an impressive 5km run in just 53 minutes in 2021.
To accomplish this, the bipedal robot is equipped with advanced algorithms enabling it to run and jump, overcoming its unique structure. Bipedal Cassie's knees can bend like an ostrich to stand upright. With this superior capability, Cassie joins a group of similar 'characters' like Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Mabel – a group touted as having the world's fastest bipedal robots.
However, optimizing Bipedal Cassie for the Guinness record in the 100-meter sprint presents a different challenge. Researchers need to fine-tune its technical blueprint. Devin Crowley, an Oregon State University student, shares: 'While Bipedal Cassie's successful completion of a 5km run demonstrates high durability, we still want to push it to its limits and see how fast it can sprint. That's why we're shifting our research focus to speed.'
This research team spent a week meticulously monitoring Bipedal Cassie through a simulated training program designed to determine its most efficient gait. But it's not just about speed. To achieve the Guinness World Record, Bipedal Cassie had to start in a standing position and then return to its original stance after crossing the finish line, not just simply tumble over. This means Cassie had to use two neural networks, one to sprint and one to remain stable, seamlessly transitioning between the two movements.
Professor of artificial intelligence, Alan Fern, explains: 'Starting and stopping in a standing position is more challenging than the running phase, much like taking off and landing is more difficult than flying an aircraft multiple times.' To achieve outstanding results in the 100-meter sprint, Bipedal Cassie required a design that combines flexible mechanical hardware and advanced AI, controlling that hardware.
In the end, Bipedal Cassie, the bipedal robot, excelled in the 100-meter sprint in just 24.73 seconds, setting the Guinness World Record for the fastest 100-meter sprint by a bipedal robot. Currently, track athletes could easily conquer this challenge in under 10 seconds.
However, a robot achieving this record is commendable with modern-day technology. The Guinness World Record also includes other records for robot movement speed and agility. However, this record is based on a standard competitive task performed by humans, serving as a specific milestone in robot locomotion and practical capabilities in the real world.
Recently, Elon Musk introduced a humanoid robot prototype with a 'deadpan' face, capable of performing various challenging tasks and expected to replace human manufacturing capabilities in the future. This further highlights the remarkable advancements in science and technology today.
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