Murata Girl (aka Murata Seikochan), has received its annual upgrade (the third version so far) and is now able to negotiate a lightly curved S-shaped balance beam while riding its unicycle.  Last year the robot was able to move forwards and backwards on a balance beam, but turning on it wasn’t possible.  To put things into perspective, the balance beam is a mere 2.5cm (approximately 1 inch) wide; the unicycle’s tire is only 1.5cm (0.6 inches) thick!  Absolutely crazy, professional acrobat-level stuff.

The 50cm (19″) tall robot weighs 6kg (13 lbs) and uses a camera with image processing to detect the beam’s curve.  The robot will be demonstrated at the upcoming CEATEC show in early October (5th ~ 10th).

[source: Asahi.com (JP)] via [Robotech_jp @ Twitter]