It seems a new titleholder for the world’s smallest humanoid robot has just debuted. The robot stands only 15cm tall! When I was young..er, I remember thinking how awesome it would be if my GI Joes were mechanical and could move around and act on their own intiative. Seems we’re getting closer to that dream of my younger self. (Okay, you got me, I’d still play with them.)

To my knowledge, the former titleholder was Tomy’s Omnibot 17µ i-SOBOT, which was to be listed in the Guiness Book of Records in 2008 (ouch). Omnibot stands 16.5 centimeters tall, but the new robot only 15cm.

Here’s a fresh scoop from YouTube which I think is one of the first public videos of it. Watch below (what’s that frog at 1:40?!).

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The robot was created by Chang Ho Yu, general manager of Taiwan-based GeStream Technology Inc. It looks quite versatile judging by the video, and news sources report that it has 16 degrees of freedom:

With 16 degrees of freedom, which translates to 65536 motions, the Taiwanese humanoid robot is the smallest, lightest and the cheapest in the world.

“This new version is suitable for robot games and it is easy for the owner to download and update the newest robot motions or movements,” he said, adding that it was also easy to assemble and disassemble the battery-operated robot.

“Because the robot is sold in pieces, the owner will need to programme and learn to build his own robot. He can also add in any motion he wants to the robot,” said Chang.

They also mention plans to add voice control in the future, and that it will be used as a learning tool for children. According to Engadget, the robot’s price is rumored at around $200 — a great price range for enthusiasts.

But this begs the question: What the hell is a ’smallest humanoid’ meant to accomplish? Is a robot like that good for anything but play and education (toys and helping kids learn robotics)? He’s just as stupid as is big brothers and aside from that his size makes it harder to equip him with essential intelligence gear (like sensory devices, depth cameras, etc.).

One of the main ideas that drive humanoid robotics development is that we’ve built our worlds to befit the human form. Thus, robots in human form fit the puzzle perfectly. But a miniature humanoid, now that’s a dwarf in a big man’s world. You remember what it was like to be miniature people in Honey I Shrunk the Kids?

Well, I’m exaggerating whatever frustrations I may have. Aside from the fact that humanoid research is but a fraction of the entire fields of robotics (see the Humanoid Robot Minority Report), there’s still the motivation that we don’t want our technologies to have limits. We want to push the boundaries. If we want to, for whatever reason, then we should be able to build a miniature humanoid. And granted, the technologies and techniques we need to create for that are beneficial in more fields than humanoid robotics. So those are two reasons.

But the bigger picture is that as we advance any kind of robot that draws attention, such as this one, we’re increasing people’s awareness and interest in robotics. Not to mention if they become popular toys and the kids learn to build robots because of it. With public interest comes commercial interest, and with commercial interest comes funding. Funding for the long and complex research on artificial intelligence; the important component current platforms are lacking.

So despite my frustrations when I see robot after robot with heads where “no-one’s home”, we’re still inching towards greater technological capabilities and public interest. Additionally, we’re getting cheaper and cheaper platforms to use for intelligence research.

Links and References

• News source: TheStar.com
• The Humanoid Robot Minority Report