Qualcomm addressed the unexpected fall of its partner NEURA Robotics’ 4NE-1 Gen 3.5 humanoid robot during a demonstration at the Taipei International Computer Show. The incident was caused by a brief communication failure that triggered a controlled shutdown sequence designed for safety.
Details of the Demonstration Incident
The 4NE-1 humanoid robot, powered by Qualcomm’s Dragonwing IQ10 robot reference design offering about 700 TOPS of computing power, was showcased walking toward a Qualcomm executive. The executive took a Dragonwing IQ10 RRD motherboard from a tray carried by the robot.
Shortly after, the robot suddenly tilted backward and fell. Event staff quickly responded. Footage showed a staff member covering the robot with a purple cloth before three people removed it from the stage.
Qualcomm’s Response and Safety Design
Qualcomm spokesperson told Tom’s Hardware that the demonstration carried inherent risks. The fall resulted from a short communication fault that led the robot to initiate a built-in “safe collapse” procedure. This system is intended to minimize risks to the environment and bystanders.
According to Qualcomm, the safety system operated as expected, and the incident has provided valuable data to improve the robot’s reliability and accelerate the development of safer, more resilient robotic technologies.
Source: ithome.com
