This humanoid robot can make a side salto, the proof in video

What if your next gym coach was a kung-fu robot? Unitree unveils a humanoid capable of side flips... and disarming you in two moves. Stay polite, it might beat you up.

Humanoid robots have just reached a new acrobatic milestone. The G1, designed by the Chinese company Unitree, has successfully performed a full side flip for the first time. A performance filmed in slow motion, where We see the machine launch, pivot in the air, then land in perfect balance. Unprecedented for a robot of this size.

To achieve this, Unitree boosted the G1's AI algorithm, making it more responsive. The technique? Reinforcement learning, already used by other giants like Figure Robotics. The robot learns by testing movements in a simulated environment, until perfectly master their physical execution.

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Kung fu, housekeeping... and rescue: what will we make it do?

But the G1 doesn't just stop at somersaults. In a crazy video, it confronts a human armed with a stick. After a hand feint, the robot performs a spinning kick, throwing the weapon to the ground. A demo as impressive as it is disturbing, filmed in real time without acceleration.

At 1.30 m and 35 kg, this little mechanical athlete hides a dense technology. Equipped with lidar and a 3D camera, it perceives its environment in 360°. Its 23 joints give it unprecedented flexibility, while a removable battery gives it two hours of autonomy. And in terms of speed, it travels at 7 km/h, enough to lose (or chase) an average human.

Unitree already imagines its robot folding laundry, inspecting factories, or intervening in dangerous areas. But at $16,000 (recommended price), the G1 is primarily aimed at businesses and researchers. The "kung fu" version remains a concept, even if the curious can theoretically control it.

One unknown remains: why teach a robot to do somersaults? For Unitree, it's about pushing the limits of autonomous mobility. One day, these feats could allow robots to navigate rubble or unstable terrain. In the meantime, what will be remembered most is the surreal image of a humanoid doing a cartwheel and beating humans in single combat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29xLWhqME2Q