When machines learn to walk like humans

For decades, robots have moved forward, retreated, rotated... but rarely with the fluidity of a human step. This challenge of natural locomotion, long reserved for science fiction, is now being addressed by Figure 02. This humanoid, designed by the Californian start-up Figure, did not learn to walk by repeating orders, but by exploring, whispering and correcting his errors in a virtual world. Step by step, he has refined his approach until he re…