Russia's first humanoid robot falls flat on its face during stage debut

Russia’s first AI-powered humanoid robot, named AIdol, experienced a highly publicized malfunction during its debut at a technology forum in Moscow, where it fell face-first on stage. Developed by the Russian robotics company Idol, AIdol was designed to showcase Russia’s advancements in AI and robotics through lifelike movement, gesture control, and the ability to interpret visual data and interact with people. The fall, caused by a calibration error in its balance and motion control algorithms, highlighted the challenges still facing early humanoid robot models in maintaining stability. Despite the setback, Idol’s CEO Vladimir Vitukhin framed the incident as a learning opportunity, emphasizing ongoing efforts to refine the robot’s control systems ahead of future demonstrations. AIdol is notable for being composed of 77 percent domestically produced components, a significant achievement given Western sanctions limiting Russia’s access to advanced imports, with plans to increase this to 93 percent. The robot features a silicone face powered by 19 servomotors,