Robots are finally learning that when pushing heavy objects, it's better to bend with the knees and not the back.Researchers from JSK Laboratory in Tokyo have developed a robot that does the grunt work of moving heavy things for us. Like humans, the robot autonomously tries out different postures until it is successful moving the hefty object, usually using the force of its whole body.As seen in the video above, the ingenious robot figures out how not to fall over. For example, "it modifies its footsteps to be larger or smaller based on how far the object moves, which it detects through how much its body is tilting," writes IEEE Spectrum.
Unfortunately, these robots aren't being developed to help us move out of our fifth-floor walkup apartment. Rather, they will be used to perform other tasks with "whole-body contact," so that's not terrifying or anything.