Robot can stand upright, call elevator and could be future of delivery

By Dean Murray via SWNS

Should we be scared? The future of delivery will see robots with 'brains' downloaded into them.

This video highlights the new technology in action - an intelligent machine standing on two legs and calling itself an elevator.

The latest abilities of the ANYmal robot were showcased as a key part of tech giant NVIDIA’s Artificial Intelligence conference this week.

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang, a Taiwanese-American billionaire, gave a keynote speech presenting the latest breakthroughs in AI, data science, high-performance computing, and autonomous machines.

The wheeled-legged robot was featured in the real and digital world.

He suggested robots would learn to walk and know their environment in the omniverse; a physically accurate virtual replica of real-world environments.

Mr. Huang explained: “The trained AI brain is then downloaded into the physical robot. And since omniverse is physically accurate, the robot, after getting its bearings, should adopt the skills of its digital twin.”

Dr. Marko Bjelonic, of ANYmal developer Swiss-Mile, a spin-off from ETH Zurich research university, explained: “The capability to stand up on two legs, as shown here, revolutionizes the way we categorize multi-legged robots.

“This humanoid-quadruped transformer makes it superior to other four-legged machines, allowing for a higher field of view, but also enabling it to perform practical skills such as calling an elevator, and in future, grab packages and open doors.”

The robot had previously shown off its ability to motor along, tackle obstacles like stairs, and rear up on its two back legs to balance like a humanoid.

The interaction with objects, such as elevator buttons, is a step forward in innovation.

Suggested applications for ANYmal include last-mile delivery challenges, with Swiss-Mile announcing: “With both legs and wheels, our robot outperforms state-of-the-art wheeled delivery platforms as well as lightweight delivery drones.”