This is "Stickman," a robot acrobat that Disney Research scientists presented at this week's IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. From the abstract of their technical paper:

Human performers have developed impressive acrobatic techniques over thousands of years of practicing the gymnastic arts. At the same time, robots have started to become more mobile and autonomous and can begin to imitate these stunts in dramatic and informative ways. We present a simple two degree of freedom robot that uses a gravity-driven pendulum launch and produces a variety of somersaulting stunts. The robot uses an IMU and a laser range-finder to estimate its state mid-flight and actuates to change its motion both on and off the pendulum.

"Stickman: Towards a Human Scale Acrobatic Robot" Read the rest

Australian acrobat Aiden Malacaria set a Guinness World Record yesterday for the most fire-breathing full twist backflips in one minute. He had to hit eight of them but made it to ten. From Guinness World Records:

Each jump had to be a complete 360° backwards flip and, whilst airborne, Aiden needed to perform a 360° lateral spin, and blow a flame, without falling – making this challenge both exhausting and risky.

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Here's a whole whack of extremely talented and energetic young people doing awesome and fun acrobatic routines on a slackline -- a bouncy rope that works like a cross between a trampoline and a tightrope.

(Thanks Fipi Lele!) Read the rest