The Unitree H1 robot is flipping the script on what humanoid robots can do — literally. This bipedal bot has just snagged the spotlight by pulling off a standing backflip without any hydraulics. That’s right, no bulky, leak-prone hydraulics here, just pure electric dexterity.
The backflip robot's unique design You might be thinking, 'Haven’t we seen robots backflip before?' Sure, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas has been somersaulting its way into our social media feeds for a while now, but it’s always had the help of hydraulics. The H1, on the other hand, is all about those sleek M107 electric joint motors, each packing a punch with 360 Nm of peak torque.
The backflip robot's specs The H1 is 71 inches tall, weighs 104 pounds and can carry up to 66 pounds of payload. While it doesn’t have human-like hands just yet, that’s on the to-do list. The H1 has already broken records for speed, sprinting at 7.4 mph. The backflip robot's innovative design Now, let’s talk design. The H1’s legs are a marvel of engineering, with three degrees of freedom at the hip, one at the knee and another at the ankle. Plus, all the wiring is tucked away inside, which means no more tripping over cables — just smooth, clean lines. Its head is equipped with 3D LiDAR and an Intel RealSense depth camera, which gives it a panoramic view of its surroundings.
Training the backflip robot for perfection So, how did the H1 learn this acrobatic feat? Through reinforcement learning simulation, it practiced its heart out until it almost nailed the perfect backflip, save for a tiny corrective hop at the end. It’s like watching an Olympic gymnast stick the landing — almost. More than just flips H1 incorporates AI technology that enables it to learn and perform a variety of tasks, including backflips.