This AI Sputnik turned out to be a total Splatnik.
A much-hyped Russian robot faceplanted and flailed on stage during its grand debut in a humiliating misstep for mankind.
AIDOL — an android hailed as “Russia’s first anthropomorphic robot with artificial intelligence” by its creator company of the same name — was led out onto a Moscow stage to much fanfare Tuesday as a group of about 50 journalists looked eagerly on.
The Rocky theme song “Gonna Fly Now” even blared over the speakers as AIDOL strutted out with its silicon face aglow, and two handlers from the tech company followed proudly behind.
AIDOL raised a hand in greeting — but things quickly took a turn from Russian power to Irish yoga as the robot staggered a few steps before faceplanting, hard, into the stage floor.
Several pieces shattered from the robot’s frame and went flying as the bot flailed on the ground.
Then the lyrics kicked in on the Rocky theme.
“Trying hard now!” the song played. “It’s so hard now!”
The handlers raced to pull AIDOL back to its feet while a third pulled a black curtain over the stage — but the cover became tangled over itself, and the crowd could still clearly see AIDOL being dragged with a sheepish look on its emotive face all the way backstage.
After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd began nervously clapping, and footage from the blunder went viral online.
AIDOL’s creators said they were “puzzled by the surprise around this situation in the media” in a statement, according to the New York Times.
“This is not a government initiative, nor is it funded by large corporations, but a small independent team of 14 people,” they said, explaining that the project has been personally funded so far without outside investors.
AIDOL was designed to walk, talk, and move objects in its environment. It’s part of a push from pioneering tech companies worldwide — Elon Musk’s Tesla, among them — racing to build a humanoid robot that can become integrated into human life.
But none of those robots have come out of Russia yet — except for AIDOL, which can carry 22 pounds and react to its environment with 12 different emotions, the Washington Post reported.
Its designers said AIDOL’s tumble Tuesday was nothing to be alarmed about, but merely “part of the normal process of developing cutting-edge technology.”
AIDOL was previously tested and proven capable of navigating slippery surfaces, stones and carpet, said its creators, who speculated that a fluctuation in voltage and confusing lighting on the presentation stage caused the android to lose its footing and fall.
“Despite our size, we believe our work is currently among the most advanced in Russia in this area and is quite comparable to leading international efforts,” the company said.
“What is truly frightening is not to fall, but not to get back up.”
