Researchers taught robots to run. Now they're teaching them to walk

Alan Fern, a professor of computer science at Oregon State University, and a team of researchers have successfully trained a humanoid robot called Digit V3 to stand, walk, pick up a box, and move it from one location to another. Meanwhile, a separate group of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have focused on teaching Digit to walk in unfamiliar environments while carrying different loads, without toppling over. Their research is published in a paper in Science Robotics today. Both groups are using an AI technique called sim-to-real reinforcement learning, a burgeoning method of training two-legged robots like Digit. Researchers believe it will lead to more robust, reliable two-legged machines capable of interacting with their surroundings more safely--as well as learning much more quickly.