When an Absurd Goal Becomes Reality: Figure 03 Climbs a Ladder

A year ago, a humanoid robot research program I came across listed ladder climbing as one of its target tasks. I found it so far-fetched that I told a colleague, “isn’t this an utterly unrealistic goal?”

Then today, I came across a demo video of Figure 03 climbing a ladder.

Environmental sensing and whole-body control are clearly moving up to another level.

When I asked my colleague last year whether the goal wasn’t simply absurd, the reply was: “That’s exactly why it’s worth attempting.”

Fair enough. And now, it is becoming reality.