The Chinese company Robot Era demonstrated the robot XBot-L, which became the first humanoid to the legendary Great Wall of China.
The XBot-L robot, while not with extraordinary speed or flexibility like other robots, has demonstrated impressive mobility for a humanoid. He confidently navigated ruined areas and uneven surfaces, easily climbed stairs, and upon reaching one of the watchtowers, he even performed several elements of tai chi.
One of the main advantages of XBot-L is its ability to navigate ;unpredictable landscapes and in poorly lit enclosed spaces, where other robots could get confused. The company explains this using its own reinforcement learning algorithms.
«Our perception and reinforcement learning algorithms help the robot better navigate in unfamiliar conditions and make the right decisions»,  ;— explained Robot Era co-founder Yue Xi.
Although this demonstration is not considered a breakthrough in robotics, the originality of the promotion from Robot Era, created with the support of the Institute of Transdisciplinary Information Sciences of Tsinghua University in Beijing, deserves attention. The display of a humanoid robot at one of the most famous monuments in the world — a successful marketing move to attract the attention of potential customers.