Russia’s first anthropomorphic robot, AIdol was taking slow steps, till it fell just moments after its debut at a technology event in Moscow. Slow steps, a slight wave towards the audience – and then a tumble, with pieces of the robot flying off, as organisers drew the curtains over the event.
Vladimir Vitukhin, AIDOL’s chief executive, told the Russian state news agency Tass that the robot was still in the stages of learning. “I hope this mistake will turn into an experience,” The New York Times quoted Vitukhin as saying.
Russian robot’s fall goes viral
A viral video of the moment shows AIdol being led on stage to the soundtrack from the iconic movie ‘Rocky,’ but the moment turned awkward when staff rushed in to cover the Russian robot with a cloth, which itself got tangled during the commotion.
The fall sparked immense chatter among netizens, who took to social media – with many joking that the robot had “too much vodka”.
What is AIdol?
Developers of Russia’s humanoid robot AIDOL said on the project’s website that the AI -embodied machine could walk, handle objects and communicate with people. Noting that the robot’s capabilities could make it attractive for a host of potential uses, the developers said it could become useful in industries including in the automotive industry, warehouses and medicine, as well as for entertainment.
Why did the AI robot fall?
Organisers attributed the robot’s problems to calibration and lighting issues, according to journalists who attended the event.
A technology journalist, Dmitry Filonov noted that it’s common for robotics start-ups to face early technical challenges, citing Boston Dynamics’ viral blooper reel of its Atlas robot as an example, as per NYT.
In a post published on his Substack before the event, Filonov had already cautioned that AIDOL might face mobility issues. He added that while most humanoid robots lack human-like faces, AIDOL’s developers had heavily invested in creating one — aiming for a design that closely mimics human expressions.
“I think they were just unlucky,” Filonov had reportedly said, following the mishap.
