A group of Japanese robotic manufacturers has built a “human-robot model” that mimics a person’s mechanical complexity. Called Kengoro, the robot has demonstrated its human-like abilities by completing a series of exercises, including inhaling the ground and bending the stomach.
The JSK Laboratory at the University of Tokyo has developed these humanoid robots over the years. Kengoro is the most advanced version of a series of robots that started to launch in 2001 with a robot called Kenta.
The purpose of this research is to develop a robot that can function exactly like a human being, allowing multiple applications to be integrated via test knobs to improve analysis when the robot is operating or practicing sports.
Because Kengoro is the most advanced robot produced by the team so far, it is more complicated than any of its predecessors. Still, perhaps the most exciting development is its artificial perspiration system. Obviously, the system mimics the way people sweat. Still, the process also has its pragmatic functions, designed to avoid overheating by running water through its skeleton and allowing steam to escape from the small ventilation hole.
The new research is published in Science Robotics.
