Science & Tech · AI · 2 hrs ago
AthenaZero robot catches, throws and hits baseballs with two arms
Researchers at the Robotics and AI Institute developed AthenaZero, a stationary robot with two arms designed to perform human-like movements.
Unlike many humanoid robots, which focus on walking, AthenaZero is built to study what arms can do.
Its body is fixed in place and can turn, but it has no head, hips, legs or feet.
The robot can catch and throw balls and hit them with a bat, using movements that require speed, control and force.
Its flexible joints give way when they meet an object, helping the arms absorb impact and keep moving in a controlled way.
This approach lets the arms handle contact more effectively than systems with rigid joints.
The researchers want to improve AthenaZero so it can carry out more complex tasks in real-world settings.
Researchers at the Robotics and AI Institute developed AthenaZero, a stationary robot with two arms.
The system was designed to catch, throw and hit baseballs.
Its fast, compliant joints let its arms respond to forces and make controlled movements during contact.
AthenaZero has a fixed torso that can rotate, but no head, hips, legs or feet.
The researchers aim to improve it for more complex manipulation tasks in real-world dynamic environments.
- Who
- A research team at the Robotics and AI Institute.
- What
- They developed AthenaZero, a stationary two-armed robot that can catch and throw balls and hit them with a bat.
- When
- The article was published on October 13, 2026. The development date is not stated.
- Where
- The team is at the Robotics and AI Institute; its location is not stated.
- Why
- To study how a stationary robot could achieve human-like arm movements and handle dynamic tasks.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Robot name
- AthenaZero
- Developer
- Robotics and AI Institute (RAI)
- Arms
- Two
- Hands
- Three fingers
- Study
- AthenaZero: A low-inertia, bimanual robot for dynamic manipulation,” published in Science Robotics
Sources
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