Humanoid Robot Shows off Boxing Skills

A new video showcasing the boxing capabilities of a humanoid robot, dubbed Nadia, has been released by creators IHMC Robotics and Broadwalk Robotics.

The robot, which has been described by its creators as the “next-generation humanoid for the next generation of robotics,” is shown throwing punches with a human. The companies said the video was intended to demonstrate the speed and power of its new robotic arms. 

In the exercise, a separate engineer sitting nearby controls the robot’s movements using a virtual reality headset and controls. However, the team said the robot will be able to move autonomously in the future.

According to IHMC’s website, the robot was named after gymnast Nadia Comăneci, “as a nod to the ultimate design goal — achieving human-range-of-motion.” 

Nadia is partially powered by hydraulics, using integrated smart actuators and onboard sensors. According to the team, these have a power-to-weight ratio “better than human muscles,” providing a high level of speed, power and flexibility, while maintaining a high range of motion. 

Ultimately, the companies want to integrate Nadia with autonomous and semi-autonomous behaviors to allow it to operate in urban and indoor environments without a team’s intervention, capable of movement such as climbing stairs and ladders, and navigating through debris.

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Potential applications include firefighting, disaster response and “other scenarios that might be dangerous for humans.”

The project, which has a three-year timeline, is being funded by the Office of Naval Research.