Sophia, the famous and intelligent humanoid robot is finally learning to walk — albeit slowly. And of course, this happened in CES 2018, the annual tech trade show in Las Vegas.
Sophia took her first few steps with the legs provided by DRC-HUBO body, which has won the DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2015. With a new set of legs, this humanoid robot now has enough mobility to take a few steps and even bust out some dance moves. Currently, the legs are capable of moving at up to 0.6 miles per hour.
Hanson Robotics, the Hong Kong-based company, announced its partnership with Rainbow Robotics & Drones and Autonomous Systems Lab at the CES 2018 event to integrate the Sophia with DRC-HUBO body that possesses mechanical legs, so as to help Sophia become a fully-fledged humanoid by giving her the ability to walk like a human.
“Giving Sophia a more complete and robust embodiment is a key part of our ongoing, rapidly accelerating quest to supply her and our other Hanson robots with general intelligence at the human level and ultimately beyond,” Hanson Robotics Chief Scientist Dr. Ben Goertzel said in a statement.
“Integrating Sophia with a (robotics) body that can allow her to walk completes her physical form so she can access the full range of human experiences, which will help her learn to live and walk among us,” said David Hanson, CEO of Hanson Robotics and Sophia’s creator.
Hanson first debuted the Sophia at South by Southwest in March 2016. This intelligent humanoid robot has gained praises all over, as it was able to simulate over 60 facial expressions, track and recognize faces, look people in the eye, and hold natural conversations. However, it was also been ridiculed since getting the Saudi Arabian citizenship.
It’s one small step for Sophia, but a big revolution in the domain of AI and robotics.
