Latest news with #AlanFern
New York Times
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Games Show Robots' Potential, But Your Job Is Safe, for Now
'The robots are still dumb.' ALAN FERN, robotics professor at Oregon State, on how the Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing — featuring running, kickboxing and soccer — highlight advancements, and limitations, in robotics.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watching These Humanoid Robots Try to Run a Half Marathon Is Hilarious and Bizarre
A half marathon foot race in Beijing, China, saw thousands of humanoid robots of various sizes running right alongside their flesh-and-blood counterparts for an attempt to take the crown. Footage shows the awkward bipedal robots trotting off, closely followed by their respective teams of two to three human navigators and engineers. As the Associated Press reports, the machines were separated by a divider from the hordes of human runners, making sure they didn't get trampled — or tipped over. But judging by their performance, it's unlikely the robots will be rivaling their human counterparts any time particularly soon. Many of them visibly struggled to maintain a jogging pace, with their human helpers having zero issues keeping up. Others fell over or overheated. However, the robots' goofy appearance made for an eye-catching show, with human runners and spectators alike taking photos and videos of the stiff-limbed contraptions. Instead of getting snacks and drinks along the way, the robots made pit stops to swap their batteries. A biped dubbed the Sky Project Ultra robot, developed by China's National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, took the top non-human spot, crossing the finish line in just over two hours and 40 minutes. That's quite a bit slower than the average time it takes for a fit human runner to cover the 13.1-mile distance. As Wired points out, the slowest time for a human was 3 hours and ten minutes, which meant that Sky Project Ultra was the only bot to qualify for a human participation award. A picture shows the Sky Project Ultra bot receiving a gold medal — which itself is in the shape of a humanoid robot. At five feet, nine inches, the robot was also the tallest of the bunch. Not every robot contender was as lucky. Plenty of metal contestants ended up falling flat on their faces. Many of the robots also overheated, forcing engineers to swap them out along the way or give up altogether. As the AP reports, robots were given awards for best endurance, gait design, and innovative form, so there were other opportunities to score a win without mastering the art of the road race. Besides, as experts told Wired, most of these robots weren't primarily designed to run as fast as possible. Many of them had vastly different jobs outside of the race. It's nonetheless a sign of how far the tech has come. "Until five years ago or so, we didn't really know how to get robots to walk reliably," Oregon State University robotics professor Alan Fern told Wired. "And now we do, and this will be a good demonstration of that." More on humanoid robots: Wild Video Shows Humanoid Robot Preparing Elaborate Breakfast
The Independent
19-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Robots race against humans for first time in Chinese half-marathon
Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course. The robots from Chinese manufacturers such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 cm (3.9 ft), others as tall as 1.8 m (5.9 ft). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile. Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more akin to a race car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams. "The robots are running very well, very stable ... I feel I'm witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,' spectator He Sishu, who works in artificial intelligence. The robots were accompanied by human trainers, some of whom had to physically support the machines during the race. A few of the robots wore running shoes, with one donning boxing gloves and another wearing a red headband with the words "Bound to Win" in Chinese. Some robots completed the race, while others struggled from the beginning. One robot fell at the starting line and lay flat for a few minutes before getting up and taking off. One crashed into a railing after running a few metres, causing its human operator to fall over. Although humanoid robots have made appearances at marathons in China over the past year, this is the first time they have raced alongside humans. China is hoping that investment in frontier industries like robotics can help create new engines of economic growth. Some analysts, though, question whether having robots enter marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential. Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, said contrary to claims from Beijing officials that such a race requires "AI breakthroughs", the software enabling humanoid robots to run was developed and demonstrated more than five years ago. "(The robot half-marathon) is more of a hardware endurance demonstration," he said. "Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility. "Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don't demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence," Fern said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Robots lose against humans in half marathon
Robot Tiangong Ultra finished a half-marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes on Saturday in Beijing at the E-town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon. But it was no match for the fastest human finish of 1 hour, 11 minutes, 7 seconds. The world's first human and humanoid robot half-marathon (21 kilometers or about 13 miles) included 21 bipedal robots racing alongside 10,000 humans. The robots from Chinese manufacturers, such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics, came in a variety of shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 centimeters (3.9 feet), others as tall as 1.8 meters. One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile. There was no comment on how that would help the robot run faster in the race. Engineers operating the robots could make adjustments at aid stations. While the human racers had water and snacks along the way, the robots were treated to batteries and technical tools. Organizers said the race was a technical demonstration, and no robot actually had a chance of winning. It was part of a boost for AI and robots by the Chinese government, as Beijing tries to grow its technological strength against the United States. China is trying to boost economic growth by increasing investment in AI and technology. "Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility. Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don't demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence," Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, told Reuters news agency. China is hoping that investment in frontier industries like robotics can help create new engines of economic growth. Some analysts, though, question whether having robots enter marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential. Edited by: Sean Sinico
Al Jazeera
19-04-2025
- Science
- Al Jazeera
Humans outrun robots at Beijing half-marathon
Humans took the lead over robots and kept it easily as they raced to victory at Beijing's Yizhuang half-marathon. Thousands of runners joined 21 humanoid robot rivals in a world-first 21km (13 miles, 352 yards) challenge in the Chinese capital on Saturday. But not every bot was up to the task. One collapsed moments after the starting gun and lay motionless for minutes before regaining its feet. Another slammed into a barrier after only a few strides, taking its handler down with it. Some machines made it to the finish line but still trailed the humans badly. Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Innovation Centre of Human Robotics, clocked a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The men's winner finished more than an hour earlier. 'Generally, these are interesting demonstrations,' said Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University, 'but they don't demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence.' 'The robots are running very well, very stable… I feel I'm witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,' said He Sishu, a local AI engineer watching from the sidelines. Though technically in the race, the robots weren't exactly autonomous athletes. Each one came with a team of engineers, and some needed physical support to stay upright. Chinese firms like DroidVP and Noetix Robotics fielded bots of all shapes and sizes, with a few even donning boxing gloves and headbands. Officials likened the event more to motorsport than a traditional race. Tang Jian, CTO at Tiangong's lab, said they plan to shift focus to real-world tasks: 'A focus going forward will be industrial applications … so they can truly enter factories, business scenarios, and finally households.'
