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Aug. 20 (UPI) — A humanoid robot can now perform complex tasks with a large behavior model without needing hand programming for each task.

Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Institute announced this breakthrough Wednesday in a press release.

In a video jointly released by the two organizations, Atlas performs a long, continuous sequence of complex tasks that require combining object manipulation with locomotion. By adopting LBMs, new capabilities that would have been laboriously hand-programmed in the past can now be added quickly and without writing a single new line of code.

The video shows Atlas using whole-body movements, such as walking, crouching, and lifting, to accomplish a series of packing, sorting, and organizing tasks. Throughout the sequences, researchers interject unexpected physical challenges mid-task, such as closing the lid of a box and sliding it across the floor, requiring Atlas to self-adjust in response.

Humanoid robots that have demonstrated this capability before typically separate the low-level walking and balancing control from the control of the arms for manipulation. But a single large behavior model has direct control of Atlas, treating the hands and feet almost identically.

This breakthrough is the result of the October 2024 joint research partnership between Boston Dynamics and TRI, which was designed to use their combined strengths and expertise to speed the development of smart robots.

The project, co-led by Scott Kuindersma and Russ Tedrake, is conducting research to answer fundamental questions about humanoid robots and large behavior models, to advance the field’s understanding of large models for whole-body control, including advanced manipulation and dynamic behaviors.

“This work provides a glimpse into how we’re thinking about building general-purpose robots that will transform how we live and work,” Kuindersma, vice president of Robotics Research at Boston Dynamics, said in a statement. “Training a single neural network to perform many long-horizon manipulation tasks will lead to better generalization, and highly capable robots like Atlas present the fewest barriers to data collection for tasks requiring whole-body precision, dexterity, and strength.”

Humanoids can help in many ways.

“One of the main value propositions of humanoids is that they can achieve a huge variety of tasks directly in existing environments, but the previous approaches to programming these tasks simply could not scale to meet this challenge,” Tedrake, senior vice president of Large Behavior Models at Toyota Research Institute, said in a statement. “Large behavior models address this opportunity in a fundamentally new way — skills are added quickly via demonstrations from humans, and as the LBMs get stronger, they require less and less demonstrations to achieve more and more robust behaviors.”

Humanoid robots have been an ongoing challenge. The World Humanoid Robot Games highlighted this, showing that tumbling robots is the norm.

The games featured more than 500 robots from 16 countries, including Japan, the United States and Germany, competing in 26 events.

One robot was disqualified from a 1,500-meter race when its head fell off in mid-stride.

“Keeping [the head] balanced while in movement is the biggest challenge for us,” said Wang Ziyi, 19, a member of the Beijing Union University team.

Hundreds of humanoid robots showed of their skills at the first World Humanoid Games in Beijing. The spectacle drew laughs from the crowd, but participants say the technology behind it could shape fields from self-driving cars to healthcare.

The first World Humanoid Robot Games have concluded in Beijing with more than 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they took part in events ranging from the 100m (109-yard) hurdles to kung fu.

Two hundred eighty robotics teams from 16 countries competed at the Chinese capital’s National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Events included traditional sports such as athletics and basketball as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorisation and cleaning.

“I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans,” 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan said.

Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet.

At one of the first events on Friday, five-a-side football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse.

However, in a 1,500m (nearly 1-mile) race, domestic champion Unitree’s humanoid stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing its rivals.

The fastest robot finished in six minutes, 29.37 seconds, a far cry from the human men’s world record of 3:26.00.

One mechanical racer barrelled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing while the human was knocked flat although did not appear to be injured.

Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers said.

The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, hoping to lead the industry.

Beijing has put humanoids at the “centre of their national strategy”, the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper released on Thursday.

“The government wants to showcase its competence and global competitiveness in this field of technology,” it added.

In March, China announced plans for a one-trillion-yuan ($139bn) fund to support technology start-ups, including those in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The country is already the world’s largest market for industrial robots, official statistics showed, and in April, Beijing held what organisers called the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon.

A 75-YEAR-OLD model who’s never had Botox has revealed the £2 Temu buy she swears by to stay looking young.

Penelope Tree first made a name for herself in the 1960s, and has enjoyed a resurgence of success in recent years – walking the runway for Fendi and Richard Quinn and appearing in a star-studded ad campaign to mark Zara’s 50th anniversary.

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And while she used to be “obsessed” with her appearance when she was younger, she’s now “more interested in what’s going on” around her.

She’s also “not trying to prove anything” by undergoing cosmetic procedures to maintain a flawless facade.

“You just have to accept the inevitability of ageing. I don’t really see what’s wrong with it!” she told the MailOnline.

“And I don’t like hospitals or the idea of being fiddled with in a surgical way.

“Also, repeated plastic surgery does tend to make people look like replicants (bioengineered humanoids).”

Instead, she prefers a more natural way of reducing the look of her wrinkles – anti-ageing face tapes.

The adhesive tapes have threads attached, which can be pulled and secured discreetly around the head to make the face look more taut.

And they won’t set you back anywhere near as much as Botox either, as you can pick them up for just £2 on Temu.

Other celebrities who use the tapes include Joan Collins and Bella Hadid.

She’s also a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream and Trinny London’s The Elevator cream.

“In my 20s my currency was my beauty,” Penelope continued.

“Now my currency is being alive, interested and curious.

“I just leave it to the hairdressers and the make-up artists to make me look as good as I can, which isn’t easy!”

As for her fashion sense, Penelope loves “statement jewellery”, which said makes older people “look fabulous”.

And she loves shopping at the “affordable and fabulous” Zara.

“I wear an orange Zara suit every summer and it’s the most complimented outfit I’ve ever worn in my life!” she admitted.

How is celery juice an anti-ageing potion?

Celery juice is packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids, which combat free radicals that cause cellular damage and aging.

Its high water content keeps your skin hydrated and plump, reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

The anti-inflammatory compounds in celery, such as apigenin and luteolin, help reduce chronic inflammation linked to ageing.

Rich in essential nutrients like vitamin K and potassium, celery juice supports overall skin health and body functions.

Drinking celery juice regularly can complement a balanced diet and skincare routine, promoting a youthful glow from within.

But while she’s happy to save money on the majority of her wardrobe, there’s one thing she’ll always splash out on – and that’s denim.

“If there’s one thing I have learnt as I have aged, it’s to spend money on jeans,” she said, adding that she’s had the same pair for three years and insisting they’re “good as new”.

BEIJING — Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening.

The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence.

During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day.

One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted.

The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings.

Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating.

China’s official newspaper People’s Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying “every robot participates is creating history.”

The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80).

Ting writes for the Associated Press. Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing.