A humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based company Dobot successfully cooked a steak while being remotely controlled from 1,800 kilometers away.

The robot, named Dobot Atom, performed tasks such as flipping the meat and sprinkling salt based on instructions from an operator wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset.

The demonstration took place in Shandong province and was controlled from Guangdong province.

A video on Dobot’s official WeChat account showed how the operator’s hand gestures, captured through the VR headset, were mirrored by the robot to carry out precise cooking actions.

Dobot Atom, launched in March, is the company’s first humanoid robot.

Dobot said that the technology could be used beyond household tasks, with potential applications in surgery, nuclear plant inspections, and space exploration.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Humanoid robotics achieving new dexterity milestones

Dobot Atom’s ability to perform delicate culinary tasks represents a significant advancement in robotic dexterity, building on decades of development.

The robot’s reported precision of ±0.05mm and 28 degrees of freedom enable complex manipulations like sprinkling salt and flipping meat, demonstrating capabilities that early humanoid robots could not achieve 1.

This level of dexterity has been a persistent challenge in robotics since the first digitally controlled humanoid, WABOT-1, was developed in 1970 2.

The five-finger hands on the Atom represent a technical breakthrough that allows for human-like manipulation of objects, addressing limitations that previous generations of robots faced when attempting to work in environments designed for humans 3.

The evolution from mechanical automata like da Vinci’s 15th-century knight to modern systems capable of precise culinary tasks illustrates how robotics has progressed from conceptual demonstrations to practical applications requiring fine motor control.

2️⃣ Teleoperation emerging as bridge technology for robot deployment

The remote control of Dobot Atom across 1,800km demonstrates how teleoperation is enabling robotic capabilities before full autonomy is achieved.