Glossary / Robotics
Humanoid robot
A robot with a human-like body — torso, two arms and two legs. Its advantage is being able to use environments and tools built for people.
Starting with Waseda University's WABOT-1 in 1973, Honda's P2 in 1996 drew attention as a humanoid that walked on two legs without being tethered to external power or computers. Its development is described in a 1998 paper[1].
The human form lets a robot use stairs, corridors and tools made for people. Staying balanced on two legs, battery life and delicate handwork remain major challenges.
Related terms
- Quadruped robotA robot that walks on four legs. It can move steadily over rough ground and stairs where wheels cannot go.
- Reinforcement learningLearning better actions by trial and error, guided by a reward given according to the outcome, rather than by being told the right answer.
- All-solid-state batteryA lithium-ion battery whose liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid material. It is expected to be harder to ignite and to store more energy.