A humanoid robot developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) appeared at a National Assembly parliamentary audit and demonstrated walking technology and balance control. It also drew attention by reproducing Michael Jackson's "moonwalk" move.

At a parliamentary audit held on Oct. 20 at KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee unveiled the "KAIST Humanoid v0.7" developed by a research team led by professor Hae-won Park (박해원) of KAIST's mechanical engineering department. The audit was conducted on 54 institutions, including the National Research Council of Science and Technology, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

Hwang Jeong-a (황정아), a lawmaker from the Democratic Party who completed her studies up to a doctoral programme at KAIST, introduced the humanoid robot developed by her alma mater during her question session. When the door to the meeting room opened, a silver-and-black humanoid about 180 cm tall walked in on two legs.

The robot has a build similar to an adult man and can run at up to 12 to 13 km per hour. It can also step over obstacles more than 30 cm high. It is designed to perform complex full-body movements including duck-walking, playing soccer and carrying objects. The research team designed and produced key components needed to drive the robot, including motors, reducers and motor drivers.

The demonstration introduced technology that maintains balance even under external impact. Hwang pushed the robot's chest several times, but it did not fall and held its posture. When force is applied from outside, it detects it and controls dozens of joint motors to adjust its centre of gravity.

A notable moment also came during its exit. The humanoid left the meeting room while performing a moonwalk-like move, as if sliding backward, to Michael Jackson's signature song "Billie Jean)". Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties and the heads of the audited institutions responded with laughter and applause.

According to KAIST, the humanoid uses reinforcement learning-based AI control technology. A key feature is reducing the gap between simulation and real-world environments so motions learned in a virtual environment can be implemented on the actual robot. A KAIST official explained, "The moonwalk is not a motion directly entered by a human. It is something the AI learned on its own through reinforcement learning."

Hwang said, "Through the parliamentary audit, I will seek ways for science and technology institutions to be operated better," and added, "The committee will work together so more excellent technologies like this can emerge."