What significant milestones or technological breakthroughs have humanoid robots experienced in their development to date?

Hello! Talking about humanoid robots, this topic is incredibly cool. Unlike phones or computers that get a new generation every few years, every step in its development has been incredibly difficult, but looking back, every step counts.

When it comes to milestones, I think we can imagine it as a human's growth process: from just lying down (concept), to toddling (early robots), then running and jumping (modern robots), and finally learning to think and communicate (integrating AI).

Following this line of thought, let me walk you through a few nodes that I believe are particularly crucial:

Phase One: The Dawn of Dreams and Toddling Steps (1970s-1990s)

This was like the "infancy" of robots. Before this, most robots were stationary robotic arms in factories, or mere imaginations in sci-fi movies. Making humanoid robots walk on two legs like humans was the ultimate dream of scientists at the time.

• Milestone: WABOT Series from Waseda University
  • You can imagine WABOT-1 (1973) as the first "baby" to stand up. It was incredibly clumsy, taking dozens of seconds to take a single step, but it proved for the first time that the idea of "walking on two legs" was feasible! It could also grasp objects and engage in simple Japanese conversations with people.
  • By WABOT-2 (1984), this "baby" learned a new skill – playing the piano! This showed that robots could do more than just walk; they could perform more delicate operations.

Robots in this phase wobbled when they walked, more like "shuffling" than the "walking" we imagine. But without the exploration of this phase, everything that followed would have been impossible.

Phase Two: The Revolution of Dynamic Walking (Late 20th Century - Early 21st Century)

This was the most dazzling period in the history of humanoid robot development, like a child suddenly learning to run and jump. The synonym for this phase is – Honda.

• Milestone: Honda's ASIMO
  • Before ASIMO (2000) burst onto the scene, robots primarily used "static walking," meaning they would take a step, pause, find their balance, and then take the next step, which was very rigid.
  • ASIMO completely changed all of that. It achieved "dynamic walking," where its body would naturally swing to maintain balance while walking. It could walk continuously and smoothly, and even jog, climb stairs, open doors, and dance.
  • The first time you saw ASIMO in a video, the sense of awe was unprecedented. It was no longer a clumsy hunk of metal, but a flexible, elegant "little astronaut." ASIMO almost defined people's entire imagination of humanoid robots for the next decade or so.

Phase Three: Extreme Sports and Superb Balance (2010-Present)

If ASIMO was a polite, well-behaved student, then the star of this phase is an extreme sports master. It showed us that robots can not only walk but also maintain balance in various complex, even harsh, environments.

• Milestone: Boston Dynamics' ATLAS
  • The emergence of ATLAS was simply a "dimension-reducing strike." This company didn't seem to care much about whether robots could serve tea or pour water; they were obsessed with one thing: the limits of balance and movement.
  • You've probably seen its videos online: walking and running on snow and gravel, getting up after falling, staying stable even when pushed or poked with a stick, and even performing high-difficulty maneuvers like backflips and parkour.
  • The significance of ATLAS lies in its demonstration of robots' ability to survive in unstructured environments. Future robots, if they are to go into disaster relief, construction sites, or the wilderness, must possess this extraordinary adaptability and balance. It elevated the "physical quality" of robots to a whole new level.

Phase Four: The Era of Having a 'Brain' (Recent Years)

The body is already very strong; now it's time to equip it with a smart "brain." In the past year or two, with the explosion of AI large language models (like the technology behind ChatGPT), humanoid robots have found a new breakthrough.

• Milestone: The Fusion of AI and Robotics
  • Previously, for robots to perform tasks, engineers had to write code line by line, telling them "raise arm 30 degrees, move forward 50 centimeters."
  • Now, you can directly tell it in natural language: "Please get me that apple on the table."
  • Figure 01, a robot from Figure AI in collaboration with OpenAI, is an excellent example. In demonstrations, it can understand human speech, comprehend its situation ("I see a red apple on the table"), autonomously plan actions to complete tasks (pick up the apple and hand it to a person), and even explain why it did what it did.
  • Tesla's Optimus is also doing similar things, aiming for robots to learn human movements by "watching videos," ultimately entering factories to replace humans in tedious, repetitive labor.

The breakthrough in this phase is revolutionary. It transformed robots from "executors" into "thinkers," truly beginning to possess generality, bringing us a significant step closer to the "robot butler" we imagine, capable of entering homes and serving society.

In summary, the development of humanoid robots has been like this:

1. WABOT: Solved the question of "can it walk?"
2. ASIMO: Solved the question of "can it walk well?"
3. ATLAS: Solved the question of "can it walk well in complex environments?"
4. AI-integrated robots: Are currently solving the question of "does it know how to walk and what to do?"

Every step has been full of challenges, but it is precisely these great milestones that bring us closer to a future world where robots and humans coexist.