Perhaps unable to find other fields in which robots can outperform humans, engineers at the University of Tokyo have created humanoid robots that can exercise. Naturally, these robots can work out longer than you and I can.
Kengoro and Kenshiro, the sibling humanoids seen in the video above, are modelled on the human anatomy. Thus, their body parts consist of a muscular skeletal system, complete with joints and tendon-like parts, and a sensory nervous system with brain-like information processing capabilities. Which means the robots, the first of their kind, can effectively perform human exercises like push-ups, scrunches, stretches and more.
The younger robot Kengoro, who was developed from 2015 onwards, stands 167 cm tall and weighs about 56.6 kg. Equipped with five-fingered hands and feet that can naturally touch the ground. Kengoro also has the ability to “sweat” – to release heat generated by physical activity, which allows it to exercise longer.
“A sponge-like metal material, created using a 3-D printer, is used in part of the skeletal structure,” Yuki Asano of the University of Tokyo told The Japan Times. “We have designed a cooling system that makes water seep through the material and evaporate.”
The robots were primarily developed to help researchers better understand the movement and muscles of humans, to aid in the development of artificial limbs and to advance the design of crash-test dummies, but they may have many more uses in time to come.
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