KAIST Independently Develops Lower Body Platform for Next-Generation Humanoid Robots

KAIST announced on September 19 that the research team led by Professor Haewon Park at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Hubo Lab, Humanoid Robot Research Center, has independently developed a lower body platform for next-generation humanoid robots.

The humanoid robot is characterized by its human-like height (165 cm) and weight (75 kg), and is designed to suit human-centered environments.

The research team is conducting a running test of the 'Lower Body Platform.' Provided by KAIST

The lower body platform developed by the research team is significant in that all core components-including motors, reducers, and motor drivers-were designed and manufactured in-house. By securing the key components that determine the performance of humanoid robots with proprietary technology, the team has achieved technological independence in terms of hardware.

The team also applied a reinforcement learning algorithm they developed themselves in a virtual environment to train an artificial intelligence (AI) controller, and successfully overcame the sim-to-real gap to apply it in real-world environments. This means that technological independence has been achieved not only in hardware but also in algorithms.

The humanoid robot developed so far can travel at a maximum speed of 3.25 m/s (12 km/h) on flat ground, and has the ability to overcome height differences of more than 30 cm-a performance indicator of how well it can climb over steps, stairs, or obstacles.

Looking ahead, the research team plans to further advance the performance of the robot’s lower body platform by increasing its movement speed to 4.0 m/s (14 km/h) and enhancing its ability to overcome height differences to more than 40 cm, as well as enabling ladder climbing.

Members of Professor Haewon Park's research team. Provided by KAIST

In addition, the research team is collaborating with Professor Jaemin Hwangbo's team (arms) at the KAIST Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Sangbae Kim's team (hands) at MIT, Professor Hyun Myung's team (localization and navigation) at the KAIST School of Electrical Engineering, and Professor Jaechul Kim and Professor Jaehwan Lim's team (vision-based manipulation intelligence) at the KAIST Graduate School of AI to develop the hardware and AI for a complete humanoid robot with an upper body.

Through these efforts, the team aims to develop technologies that enable the robot to perform complex tasks such as carrying heavy objects, manipulating valves, cranks, and door handles, and simultaneously walking and manipulating-such as pushing carts or climbing ladders-to equip the robot with physical capabilities that meet the diverse and complex demands of real industrial sites.

Professor Park stated, "This research is significant in that we have achieved independence in both hardware and software for humanoid research by securing everything from the core components of the robot's lower body platform to the AI controller with our own technology. Going forward, our team will strive to develop a complete humanoid robot with an upper body that can work alongside humans in industrial settings."

Meanwhile, Jonghun Choi, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, participated as the first author in this research. The results will be shared at 'Humanoids 2025,' the international humanoid robot conference to be held on October 1.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.