Japan Invents a Goat-Shaped Robot to Transport Heavy Loads

Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries , a multinational corporation known for producing heavy industrial machines and equipment, has developed its first quadrupedal robot that it believes can help with labor shortages in the country’s aging society.

Named ” BEX” after the ibex species of wild goat , the robot with its large curved horns can walk on all fours on uneven terrain and/or move faster on smoother surfaces using wheels arranged on its underside. . Capable of carrying loads of up to 100 kg (220.4 lbs), the battery-powered BEX can move autonomously or by remote control, the company announced.

The Kawasaki company started producing humanoid robots in 2017 and decided to develop a four-legged prototype last year as a solution to a balance problem facing its two-legged robots. More importantly, BEX was designed to perform tasks in agricultural environments, thus responding to a labor shortage problem in rural Japan.

“In an aging society, this robot can help older people who need to move around with heavy loads. For example, it can support the agriculture or forestry industries,” said Noboru Takagi, CEO of Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ robot business division. Its commercial sale is expected to begin next year.

Harvesting and working in the fields with a robot like this sounds like a lot of fun! Here below we share the video of his exhibition.