As long as robots were limited to bringing us coffee or cleaning the floors, we could sleep soundly. But when they start mastering kung fu and disarming humans with the speed of Bruce Lee (or almost), well, the situation deserves at least a raised eyebrow. The Chinese company Unitree shared a video of his kung fu robot G1 which, in just 15 seconds, shows us what could happen if machines ever decided that we humans have become superfluous. A human with a stick beats a retreat, the robot advances and with a precise and lightning-fast kick disarms him. All at normal speed, without cinematic tricks.
The disarming speed of the kung fu robot
Let's face it: this isn't one of those funny videos of robots clumsily falling while trying to climb stairs. This is a humanoid that moves with the fluidity of a skilled martial artist, capable of calculating perfect trajectories and timing in real time.
The video released Tuesday shows the G1, with a single kick, knocking a stick out of the hand of a retreating human. There's no time-lapse editing, no special effects; it's the raw, disturbing reality of what contemporary robotics can do. And the message that Unitree adds at the end of his videos doesn't exactly help to ease anxiety: “We kindly ask all users to refrain from making dangerous modifications or using the robot in a dangerous manner.” As if we needed a reminder of what NOT to do with a kung fu robot in the house.
An affordable price for your personal apocalypse
If you think these technological gems are reserved for government laboratories or multi-billion dollar corporations, you are very wrong. G1 base model costs “just” 16.000 dollars, practically a bargain compared to the 59.000 dollars of the (Figure 02 or to the 30.000 of Tesla Bot by Elon Musk.
I wonder how many of us are already considering buying one for “research purposes”, while secretly fantasizing about impressing friends with a robotic butler capable of mixing cocktails and, incidentally, neutralizing intruders with moves straight out of a blockbuster movie. Jackie Chan.
The technology behind this impressive performance includes a new algorithm developed by Unitree, as well as 3D LiDAR and depth cameras for environmental awareness and navigation. In practice, this robot not only knows where to strike, but can also see exactly where it is going while doing so.
The future is already here: be on your guard
According to Unitree, we can expect a breakthrough in the capabilities of humanoid robots as early as next year, with concrete commercial applications in the next five. Experts reassure us that broader applications, presumably including some form of robotic domination, are still “at least a few years” away.
A few years. What a relief, right? We still have some time to rewatch our favorite sci-fi movies and take notes on how to survive. In the meantime, let's enjoy the spectacle of these increasingly sophisticated machines, remembering that for now we are still the ones who press the off button.
