Humanoid robots are, by definition, pretty extreme. Requiring top-of-the-line batteries, a high-degree of mobility, and a very accurate visual interface, there are few more instantly-recognizable feats of human engineering.
It makes sense, then, that one of their main use cases would be in drumming up spectacle. Humanoids have already taken part in underground fight clubs, long-distance marathons, and gnarly kung fu films.
Now, a humanoid is even “training” to complete one of the most daring spectacles ever conceived: scaling to the top of Mount Everest.
According to Humanoids Daily, a modified Unitree G1 unit has recently completed a trek to the top of Ecuador’s Chimborazo volcano. At 20,564 feet high, the summit of Chimborazo is higher than the infamous Denali — formerly Mount McKinley — the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak. Chimborazo is also technically farther away from the center of the Earth than Mount Everest, due to its position near the equator.
To be fair, the G1 didn’t exactly do it all on its own. As Humanoids reported, the robot walked autonomously along sections of the 16-hour trek to the summit with less than a 30-degree incline, but was carried for the rest.
Still, the effort resulted in some remarkable footage of the robot — decked out in special booties and a purpose-built warming jacket — sauntering around the snowy peak of Chimborazo.
And unlike some other grabby PR stunts, the climb is part of a broader effort to put a little good out into the world. Organized by a French engineer named Pablo, the mountain climb experiment is meant to stress test humanoids and built up their mobility in extreme environments. As Humanoids reported, the ultimate goal of the initiative, called “Pemba,” is to give conservationists a tool with which to monitor remote environments, like the Amazon rainforest.
Though humanoid robots have a long way to go before they’re ready for a task with that many variables, it’s a laudable goal. And hey, if nothing else, at least we’ll get some fun robot content out of the deal. Next, Pablo and his team are set to take Pemba to Hawaii’s Mauna Kea — before attempting the galling climb to the top of Mount Everest.
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