Eerily reminiscent of the design of Sonny and the other NS-5s in I, Robot, Kenshiro is the University of Tokyo’s latest attempt to create a humanoid robot that accurately mimics human movement. And the researchers there believe the best way to build an artificial human is to simply copy our anatomy, particularly our muscular and skeletal systems.
Kenshiro uses some of the most advanced artificial muscles ever developed to move and walk—or shuffle, at least—in a manner that’s surprisingly similar to how you and I get around. Standing at just over five feet tall the robot closely resembles a twelve-year-old boy, but weighs in at 112 pounds thanks to 160 different muscles bringing it to life.
And that’s the biggest issue the researchers are currently dealing with: Kenshiro’s weight. A full-sized human replicant would weigh in close to 220 pounds, which puts more strain on the muscle system, draws more power, and generally slows down its movements. So being chased by a horde of these robots is thankfully a nightmare that’s not going to come true for at least a few more years. Phew! [YouTube via Automaton]
