Toyota's Latest Humanoid Robot Can Balance on One Leg

Toyota this week unveiled its third-generation humanoid robot, and it has pretty impressive yoga and martial arts skills.

It may not be able to nail a back flip like Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot, but Toyota's T-HR3 can balance on one leg, gently pick up a balloon with two hands without popping it, and even give you a high five. For a peek at T-HR3 in action, check out the video below.

T-HR3 is remotely controlled from a "Master Maneuvering System" that basically lets a human operator become one with the robot. Wearable controls map the operator's hand, arm, and foot movements and communicate them to T-HR3's body parts. So, when the operator moves their arms, the robot mirrors those movements. The operator can also walk in place to make the robot move forward or laterally. Plus, a head-mounted display lets the operator see from T-HR3's perspective.

Toyota said its latest robotics platform can "safely assist humans in a variety of settings, such as the home, medical facilities, construction sites, disaster-stricken areas, and even outer space." T-HR3 can even maintain its balance if it collides with something, a skill that should come in handy in certain environments where precise movements are necessary, Toyota said.

In a statement, Akifumi Tamaoki, general manager of Toyota's Partner Robot Division said his team plans to use the technology in T-HR3 to "develop friendly and helpful robots that coexist with humans and assist their daily lives."

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"Looking ahead, the core technologies developed for this platform will help inform and advance future development of robots to provide ever-better mobility for all," Tamaoki said.

Toyota earlier this year completed the first North American in-home trial of its Human Support Robot, which is designed to help those with limited mobility gain more independence. That robot can do things like open curtains, pick up fallen objects like pens and TV remotes off the floor, and retrieve things from boxes and shelves.