Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have successfully tested an innovative mapping technique using the Unitree Go1, a quadruped robot dog. Assistant professor Peng Lu, the study’s principal investigator, and his lab were involved in this research. Performing a series of experiments in controlled as well as natural environments, the team tested the robot’s ability to traverse a variety of surfaces.
The robust Unitree Go1 had to crawl, climb, and jump autonomously over obstacles in its path during these tests. It’s a credit to the robot that it was so adept at alternating between these two modes, contrasting as they were. This flexibility is key to past and future success in years of safely and effectively traversing challenging unknown terrain.
As lead researcher Peng Lu explained, the researchers used a continuous multi-layered mapping approach that significantly improves a robot’s perception of the environment. He stated, “The results show that the multi-layer elevation map can effectively represent various complex terrains, which allow a robot to easily understand the environment.”
The results from this study were released on August 4th in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that Unitree Go1 has a superior performance in traversing complex terrains. It can only operate based on the information from its initial training. The robot lacks the ability to adapt by learning directly from real world data, severely restricting its adaptability.
Peng Lu’s team is exploring potential commercial applications for the Unitree Go1, particularly in inspection scenarios such as construction sites. They hope to use more real-world data. This will increase the versatility of the robot in navigating various types of environments efficiently.
Lu emphasized the importance of skill acquisition for the robot’s performance. “Through learning different skills in simulation and knowledge distillation, the robot is able to switch among different skills to traverse through different obstacles.”
The Unitree Go1 is all around a radical step forward in robotics. These awards are a testament to the incredible strides in robots we’ve seen. These robots are capable today of autonomously navigating and manipulating objects in complex environments. If you’re looking to pick one up yourself, the Unitree Go1 can be ordered directly through its official website.