Alphabet's Schaft shows off its bipedal robot, and it's kind of freaky

Is my robot servant here yet? Our dream of robot companions may be a bit far-fetched and a long ways off, but robotics are definitely evolving as we get close to an automated world. Google is especially fond of robots, which is why they acquired companies like Boston Dynamics, Industrial Perception, Redwood Robotics, Meka Robotics, Holomini, Bot & Dolly and the one we are focusing on today – Schaft.

Schaft has been working on a bipedal robot, and they are finally showing off more of it at the New Economic Summit in Tokyo, Japan. It looks quite impressive. Shall we take a look at the provided video?

Not only can this unnamed robot walk around on two legs without an issue, but it actually looks like it is capable of handling many terrains, as well as cargo. The robot is seen handling weights and lighter cargo, like plates of food. Thanks to its complex mechanism consisting of sliding legs and a low center of gravity, it looks like it can carry things without spilling or dropping items.

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Schaft’s robot is seen walking through snow, sand, pebbles and dirt. Another cool demonstration is its ability to avoid tripping over unexpected items; in the video the object would be a metal tube. It’s really quite impressive.

When can you take this little guy grocery shopping? Google (Alphabet) is not mentioning anything yet. In fact, this is not really an announcement. Schaft is simply showing off its progress and making us dream about a possible coming product.

Sure, it looks a bit odd, but we think it could change the way we live. And even if it is in no way related to Android yet, we are sure these technologies will be somehow intertwined when something like this robot finally hits the market. It’s great to live in the future.