Have you ever wondered if a robotic duplicate of yourself—with a similar face, hair, and expressions—could one day exist? Hiroshi Ishiguro, a Japanese inventor, has turned this idea into a reality. Over the past 18 years, he has developed six robotic clones of himself. His latest creation, Geminoid HI-6, is an eerily accurate replica of Ishiguro, mirroring his appearance and even replicating his facial expressions.

Currently displayed at Osaka University, the Geminoid HI-6 goes beyond appearances. Ishiguro has equipped it with a large language model, plus knowledge from ten of his books and numerous media interviews. “This version is conversational,” explains Ishiguro. Originally, he used the robot to deliver lectures in his absence. Now, however, it can engage with audiences and respond to questions after a lecture, enhancing the sense of interaction and presence.

Unitree’s G1 humanoid robot has achieved a remarkable feat in agility, setting a new standing long jump record for humanoid robots. In a recently released video, the G1 showcases its advanced performance, achieving a 4.6-foot (1.4 meters) standing long jump—a significant milestone for humanoid robots of its size. Standing at only 1.32 meters tall, the G1 boasts cutting-edge joints with 23 to 43 degrees of freedom and a maximum torque of 120 Nm. The video also highlights features of Unitree’s Go2 robot dog, demonstrating the company’s innovation across various robot models.

In addition to the G1’s jumping capability, Unitree has made strides in humanoid speed with its H1 V3.0 Evolution, which set a Guinness World Record in March as the fastest full-sized humanoid robot, reaching speeds of 7.38 mph on level ground. The G1, retailing at $16,000, is currently available for educational, research, and industrial use, making it accessible to a broad range of applications.

A new “spitball-throwing” robot, developed by a team at ETH Zurich led by Lauren Vasey, could reshape sustainable building practices. This technology, known as impact printing, shoots out a clay-based material at high speed, allowing for quick construction without the need for cement or curing time—a leap forward in reducing construction’s carbon footprint.

The building sector faces mounting pressure to curb CO2 emissions, especially from materials like concrete, which is slow to 3D-print and heavily dependent on cement. “The building sector needs to dramatically decrease our CO2 emissions from new construction and move towards more circular supply chains,” Vasey explained in a video introduction to the technology.