The Chinese company Robot Era demonstrated the robot XBot-L, which became the first humanoid to overcome the legendary Great Wall of China.
The XBot-L robot, while not possessing the extreme speed or flexibility of other robots, has demonstrated impressive mobility for a humanoid. He confidently moved over the destroyed areas and uneven surfaces, easily climbed the stairs, and when he reached one of the watchtowers, he even performed several elements of tai chi.
One of XBot-L’s main strengths is its ability to navigate unpredictable landscapes and poorly lit confined spaces where other robots might get lost. The company explains this by using its own reinforcement learning algorithms.
“Our perception and reinforcement learning algorithms help the robot better navigate in unfamiliar environments and make the right decisions”,” explained Robot Era co-founder Yue Xi.
Although this demonstration is not considered a breakthrough in robotics, the originality of the promotion from Robot Era, created with the support of the Institute of Transdisciplinary Information Sciences of Tsinghua University in Beijing, deserves attention. Showing a humanoid robot at one of the most famous monuments in the world is a successful marketing move to attract the attention of potential customers.
