The humanoid robot that learns to box and play the piano just by observing humans

Researchers from Stanford University, in the United States, have given life to HumanPlus, a robot humanoid capable of imitating and learning human actions by simply observing their movements. This technological advance adds to the trend of humanoid robots in the technology industry. The automaton stands out, among other things, for its ability to play the piano, box and play table tennis.

The robot, based on Unitree’s H1 model, uses a single RGB camera to capture and reproduce human movements in real time. According to Stanford researcher Zipeng Fu, HumanPlus needs 40 hours of observation to learn a new task, which it can then execute step by step.

Measuring 1.65 meters high, this prototype is characterized by its open source design, which will allow its functionality to be modified for different tasks in the future. This approach has led researchers to publish a repository on GitHub, making it easy for anyone interested to build a similar model, as long as they have the necessary resources.

Building HumanPlus is not accessible to all budgets. Researchers estimate that the cost of assembling a working model amounts to about $107,945, including parts such as hands from Inspire-Robots and dolls from another company.

The development of HumanPlus is part of a global trend where humanoid robots are gaining prominence. From Tesla, whose units already operate in their factories, to Japan and the United States, where machines capable of driving cars are being created. Technology advances drastically.