Hong Kong students built world’s smallest humanoid robot

Four students from Hong Kong’s Diocesan Boys’ School created the world’s smallest humanoid robot. Even better, the little bot made a huge mark on the Guinness World Records. It met the requirements of articulating its shoulders, hips, knees, and elbows and walking on two legs. Moreover, you may control it with a mobile app. 

It’s an impressive piece of tech worthy of a world record, but it has a more profound purpose. The students made this machine as a “small, low-cost, rechargeable, and programmable” tool for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. Soon, it may inspire you and other young minds to start tech projects. 

How did they create the world’s smallest humanoid robot?

The Guinness World Records website says Ngo Hei Leung, Justin Wang Tou Doung, Isaac Zachary To, and Aaron Ho Yat Fung created the humanoid bot. Also, it explained how they created the record-making machine.

They started by making a computer-aided design (CAD) of the robot. Then, they figured out its technical specifications and components. 

The students contracted a factory to produce servo motors for their design. Servos are electronic devices that rotate and push machine parts precisely.

They enable the robot to move its limbs. Next, the team acquired a 16-channel servo control board. Also, they bought other hardware like screws, nuts, wires, and batteries.

The Diocesan Boys’ School’s robotics laboratory designed and produced the bot’s acrylic panels and 3D-printed parts. Afterward, Doung, Leung, To, and Fung assembled their robot. 

They started with the legs and used eight servos for the hips, feet, and knees. Later, they verified the bot could move with two legs. 

They installed servos to allow elbow and shoulder articulation. Then, they tested placing the battery and control board. However, the initial battery unit was too large and heavy.

READ: Hong Kong robots help kids with autism

That is why they chose a smaller 7.4V lithium-ion battery. Lastly, the students screwed the control board onto the robot’s back, letting people control it with onboard buttons. 

Alternatively, they could use a mobile app to make the robot perform pre-programmed actions. The finished product was shorter than a standard ballpoint pen.

It was 141 mm (5.55 in) high, making it smaller than the previous smallest humanoid robot. The latter was from Zain Ahmad Qureshi from Pakistan, who made it in 2022.

Another cool robotics project

You’ve seen the world’s smallest robot, but how about one of the largest? If you’ve always wanted to pilot a giant robot, Japan has you covered. 

On August 19, 2023, Japanese firm Tsubame Industries posted a YouTube video showing its latest project. Automobile news website Autoevolution says the company got the name “‘Archax” from the flying dinosaur Archeopteryx.

It looks like a robot from the Hollywood film “Pacific Rim” and a “Gundam” from its namesake shows and comics. Yet, the legs may remind you of office chairs or leg parts from the video game Armored Core 6. 

Instead of two legs, this transforming robot has four legs with wheels. Archax is 14.8 feet or 4.5 ms tall in its robot mode, but it can only move at 1.2 mph or 1.9 kph. More importantly, it enables the pilot to control the arms and fingers.

READ: China wants to mass-produce robots by 2025

The hands have articulated digits that let you manipulate objects of up to 33 lbs or 15 kg. On the other hand, the vehicle mode extends Archax legs and lowers its torso.

The new configuration exchanges height for speed, boosting its top speed to 9.65 kph or 6 mph. Unfortunately, only the ultra-rich could afford this transforming robot worth $2.5 million!

The Japanese government plans to deploy it for disaster recovery and space development. Also, it may inspire future robotics applications. Learn more about Archax in my other article and check other digital trends at Inquirer Tech.