Robot Friends Emerge as AI Companion Market Surges
As the AI companion market explodes, the technology is quickly jumping from the digital to the physical world through robotics.
Petman
Petman is a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics in 2009 to test protective clothing for the US Army. Standing at human height and capable of walking, running, and performing push-ups, it was one of the first robots to demonstrate lifelike balance and movement. Petman featured advanced sensors to simulate human sweating and temperature regulation during tests. Its realistic locomotion laid the groundwork for later Boston Dynamics robots like Atlas.