Surena Humanoid Robot

Surena IV among the Ten Humanoid Robots of 2020

Humanoid robots are designed to look like humans for intuitive collaboration, and the latest locomotion and AI technology is helping to speed up their development. Mechanical engineers at the Iranian University of Tehran have been working on Surena robots since 2010. Their latest model, which debuted in December 2019, is called Surena IV—an adult-sized humanoid that is reportedly capable of face and object detection, speech recognition and generation, walking with a speed of 0.7 kilometers per hour, and an ability to grip a variety of shapes and objects. It has 43 degrees of freedom. Engineers use Surena to research bipedal locomotion, and AI, and to attract students to careers in engineering.

Iran Unveils Its Most Advanced Humanoid Robot Yet -> Surena IV is an adult-size humanoid robot built by University of Tehran researchers

A little over a decade ago, researchers at the University of Tehran introduced a rudimentary humanoid robot called Surena. An improved model capable of walking, Surena II, was announced not long after, followed by the more capable Surena III in 2015.

Now the Iranian roboticists have unveiled Surena IV. The new robot is a major improvement over previous designs. A video highlighting its capabilities shows the robot mimicking a person’s pose, grasping a water bottle, and writing its name on a whiteboard.

Iran's Newest Robot Is an Adorable Dancing Humanoid -> University of Tehran roboticists have built a dancing, karate-chopping little humanoid called Surena Mini

Over the last several years, a team of roboticists at the University of Tehran has been working on increasingly large and complex life-size humanoids. For their latest project, however, the Iranian researchers decided to build something smaller—and cuter.

Surena Mini is a knee-high robot with a sleek 3D-printed body, articulated limbs, and a round head with two camera-eyes. Twenty small servomotors power its arms, legs, and neck, allowing the little robot to walk, gesture, and dance.

Iran Demonstrates New Humanoid Robot Surena III -> University of Tehran researchers unveiled yesterday the latest generation of their adult-sized humanoid

Iranian researchers at the University of Tehran unveiled yesterday the latest generation of their humanoid robot, named Surena III. In a demonstration, the adult-size robot walked across a stage, imitated a person’s arm gestures, and stood on one foot while bending backwards.

Dr. Aghil Yousefi-Koma, a professor of mechanical engineering who leads the Surena project, tells IEEE Spectrum that the robot is designed as a research platform to explore bipedal locomotion, human-robot interaction, and other challenges in robotics. He also hopes Surena can help show the importance of engineering careers to students and the public, adding that he views the robot as a symbol of technology advancement “in the direction of peace and humanity.”

Iran's Humanoid Robot Surena Walks, Stands on One Leg -> IEEE Spectrum obtained videos showing that the Iranian humanoid can indeed walk

Iranian researchers at the University of Tehran unveiled last month an adult-size humanoid robot called Surena II.

Initial press reports by Iran’s official news agencies didn’t include a lot of details about the robot, saying only it could “walk like a human being but at a slower pace,” as well as perform some other tasks, and questions surfaced about the robot’s real capabilities.

Now IEEE Spectrum has obtained more details about Surena and exclusive images and videos showing that the robot can indeed walk—and even stand on one leg.

Aghil Yousefi-Koma, a professor of engineering at the University of Tehran who leads the Surena project, tells me that the goal is to explore “both theoretical and experimental aspects of bipedal locomotion.”