This Silly Helium-Filled Robot Can Do Some Amazing Things – SlashGear

In a 2021 study published in the scientific journal “Frontiers in Robotics and AI,” Hong and his co-authors outlined some of the challenges facing humanity’s shared future with robots. In particular, they note that when massive and powerful machines malfunction, they’re prone to cause damage to themselves and their environments, and can even be a threat to human lives. This isn’t just a theoretical concern; it’s been over 40 years since the first documented case of an automated robot killing a human.

Thanks to BALLU’s thin frame and near weightlessness, there’s no chance it could crush a human. But it also isn’t well-suited for heavy lifting, either. Instead, they envision its primary payload to be information, which it would store in its legs among the rest of its electronic components. Once it’s ready to move, BALLU really gets around.

This inexpensive robot doesn’t just walk forward, backward, turn, and hop. It goes up and down stairs. It can jump from great heights. It can walk a tightrope and ride a skateboard. It can dance if the occasion calls for it. Heck, BALLU can literally walk on water, and you can see it all for yourself in the video above. It even looks like a quadruped version is in the works. While BALLU is still in the prototype phase, it’s already proved that it’s not just full of hot air.