Humanoid Robot Bianba Scales 6,000 Metres, Sets Sights on Everest

The nonprofit Geodesic Dome is working with Eastworlds Labs to deploy humanoid robots for high-altitude exploration. Such environments expose personnel to extreme cold, thin air and rugged terrain. Combining embodied intelligence with reinforcement learning, Bianba is intended to gradually replace people in high-risk work such as mountaineering logistics, rescue operations and scientific expeditions.

The team recently sent a modified Bianba up Ecuador's Chimborazo volcano, where it crossed the 6,000-metre mark and set a high-altitude climbing record for a bipedal humanoid robot. Geodesic Dome and Eastworlds Labs have not disclosed the exact summit date, modification costs or complete route data. The next phase calls for an attempt on the 8,848.86-metre Mount Everest.