Video: Humanoid robot performs first ever forward somersault — Chinese EngineAI PM01 excels

Humanoid robots continue to improve in copying human movements. This will allow them to be among people, helping, working and providing support regardless of the circumstances and environment. Moreover, robots must surpass people in everything so that their exploitation brings maximum benefit to humanity. Their strength and flexibility, which they gradually acquire, will help to achieve this.

Image source: EngineAI

The first backflip by a robot was in 2017. It was the humanoid robot Atlas from Boston Dynamics. At that time, it worked on hydraulics, and it took seven years for the new electric Atlas to perform a backflip using electric drives. The first electric robot to perform a backflip was the Chinese Unitree H1.

The forward somersault is more difficult to perform. Until recently, no one could boast about it, until recently it became known that another Chinese humanoid robot, PM01 from EngineAI, was able to perform the trick.

EngineAI previously released a series of videos showing its SE01 robot walking elegantly and casually near the company’s Shenzhen office.

As it turns out, one of the EngineAI humanoid robot models can easily perform a forward somersault. This trick was performed by PM01, which is smaller and lighter than SE01. PM01 is only 1.38 m tall and weighs 40 kg. Obviously, weight is a major factor when performing this trick. In long jumps, for example, the record holder on Earth is still the common flea.

It is important to note that the PM01 robot is available for purchase. On the PM01 website, it costs $13,700. Its specifications are pretty good: five degrees of freedom (DoF) in each arm and six in each leg. In total, 23 degrees of freedom in body movement. The robot also boasts a torque of 300 Nm, which seems impressive considering that this little guy is only 138 cm tall.