Google’s Alphabet showcases robot which interacts like human

The robot was showcased at the New Economic Summit in Tokyo and was created by Alphabet-owned Japanese robotics company Schaft

The robot was showcased at the New Economic Summit in Tokyo and was created by Alphabet-owned Japanese robotics company Schaft. (YouTube)

Google's parent holding Alphabet has developed a new walking robot designed to interact with the world like a human.

The robot was showcased at the New Economic Summit in Tokyo and was created by Alphabet-owned Japanese robotics company Schaft. During the demonstration, it was shown how the robot can navigate its way through uneven terrain while carrying a load of upto 60 kgs.

Schaft explained during the summit that the robot is essentially designed to be more cost effective and power efficient so it can be used by normal civilians. A spokesperson from Schaft told Spectrum IEEE that the presentation was more about showcasing what the robot can do and not some kind of a product announcement.

"[The presentation] wasn't a product announcement or indication of a specific product roadmap. The team was simply delighted to have a chance to show their latest progress," the spokesperson said.

Schaft was acquired by Google in late 2013 and since acquisition has kept a low profile by shutting down its website and very few public appearances. it also bagged the inaugural US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency robotics challenge with a bipedal robot with arms.

It follows a very different design philosophy compared to Alphabet's other robots made by Boston Dynamics, which has reportedly been put up for sale by Google.