Called HUBO, the robot was designed mainly for rescue operations. The wall that it drilled through — which was made of wood and then painted to look like bricks — in order to pass off the torch served as a demonstration of HUBO’s abilities.
HUBO received the torch at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), where it was created, and then marched 500 feet to the wall to pass the torch to its creator, Professor Oh Jun-ho.
HUBO is 47 inches tall and has a top speed of 65 paces per minute. But its Olympic duties didn’t end when it handed off the torch. HUBO and 84 other robots will be used by the Pyeongchang Olympics for a variety of tasks, including security and information services. Hopefully HUBO won’t be required to drill through any walls while on the job during the games.
