This robot can perform continuous backflips without failing
What's the story
Beijing-based NOETIX Robotics has unveiled its latest innovation - the NOETIX N2 - a humanoid robot that can perform continuous backflips with remarkable precision.
Standing at approximately 1.28 meters tall, the machine is equipped with advanced hardware designed to maintain stability during this complex maneuver.
Jiang Zheyuan, the technical leader of the development team, explained that executing a backflip is more challenging than a frontflip because human feet are longer in the front.
Design details
Innovative hardware design enhances robot's backflip performance
The team's innovative design strategies were key to the robot's successful backflip execution.
They altered the limb joints' placement, moving them closer to the robot's crotch, which made aerial rotation easier.
Jiang further elaborated on this adjustment: "This joint is not connected to its thigh, but to its knee by a connecting rod. By moving the joint upward, we minimized the inertia of its legs."
Performance
NOETIX N2 showcases human-like stability in backflips
The performance video of NOETIX N2 shows it can pull off a clean backflip on a mat.
As it lands, the bot imitates human behavior by making a few tweaks to its footing and gait to get back on its feet.
This was only possible after a lot of training and design work by the development team, which shows their dedication to making a bot that can mimic complex human movements accurately.
Robot specs
Specifications and future plans
The NOETIX N2 is said to run at speeds of up to 11.6km/h, which means it can finish a 5km race in about 26 minutes.
The bot comes with an NVIDIA Jetson, an 18 DOF (degrees of freedom) body, and weighs some 20kg.
After successful tests, the company plans to go for mass production with an expected price tag of CNY39,000 ($5,500).
Trend
Popularity of compact humanoid robots among researchers
Compact humanoid robots such as NOETIX N2, Unitree Robotics's G1, and Booster Robotics's T1 are gaining popularity among researchers for being affordable and accessible.
This trend shows that people are increasingly interested in smaller-sized bots capable of performing complex tasks.
NOETIX N2 isn't the only one capable of performing backflips; American robotics firm Boston Dynamics also showed an Atlas model doing the same last year.