ARTEMIS, the soccer-playing humanoid robot, is ready for the field

April 19 (Reuters) – Watch out, Lionel Messi. ARTEMIS is here.

ARTEMIS is a 4-foot (142-centimeter) tall, 85-pound (38-kg) robot developed by mechanical engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), ready to use. dike.

Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, ARTEMIS, which stands for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability, can maintain its balance against heavy kicks and pushes, withstand objects thrown at it, and run. But what sets ARTEMIS apart is its ability to kick the ball.

“If your robot can’t even play football, how could you use these robots for more important things like saving people’s lives?” said Dennis Hong, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of UCLA’s Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa), which developed ARTEMIS.

Technologies used in soccer robots are also used in other applications, such as firefighting and disaster relief, Hong said.

[1/5]A full-size humanoid robot named ARTEMIS is displayed at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, where mechanical engineering students developed the first robot of its kind, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Although ARTEMIS may not be participating in the next FIFA World Cup, Hong’s team will reveal all of their soccer talents at the RoboCup in Bordeaux, France in July.

The robot’s main innovation is that engineers have tailored its actuators, which generate movement from energy, to behave like biological muscles. They are flexible and force-controlled rather than the rigid, position-controlled actuators of most robots.

ARTEMIS actuators are also unique in the sense that they are electrically operated, not controlled by hydraulics. This means it is quieter and runs more efficiently, but is also cleaner as hydraulic systems are notorious for leaking fluids.

RoMeLa student Justin Quan said his personal goal is to design robots that improve people’s lives.

“Having these robots help take robotics to the next level is really rewarding because you’re like a dream, it’s getting closer,” he said.

Reporting by Jorge Garcia and Alan Devall; Screenplay by Josie Kao; Surgery by Sonali Paul

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