We had the good fortune of connecting with Junheng Li and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Junheng, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
In the humanoid robotics industry, a common misconception among the general public is that humanoid robots are a solved problem. The impressive video demonstrations from companies like Boston Dynamics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e1_QhJ1EhQ) might lead one to believe that these robots are ready for everyday use. However, the reality is that the humanoid robotics industry is still in its early stages. Despite the rapid advancements in humanoid technology and artificial intelligence, the field is still in the sunrise phase.

You might wonder when humanoid robots will be ready for full deployment in our daily lives. This is a challenging question to answer. First, we need to determine the appropriate scenarios for humanoid robots, and second, assess whether they can be as efficient and reliable as humans – both will take a lot of time and effort to perfect and solidify.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Our work centers around researching and developing humanoid technologies and embodied AI. To be more specific, we introduced the HECTOR humanoid robot platform, a project that bridges innovation in modularity, accessibility, and open-source software for advancing humanoid research and development. What sets us apart is our commitment to making humanoid robotics technology accessible to a wider audience, in and out of our field. Our open-source HECTOR software has gained a lot of attention and fostered collaborations in the fields of Robotics, Control, and AI. We are most proud of the groundbreaking features we are pioneering in the locomotion and manipulation control of humanoid robotics, such as combining an AI-powered control framework with a modular software system. Our latest research results have demonstrated outstanding locomotion abilities of mini humanoid robots through our innovative Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework.

The journey to where we are today has been challenging but immensely rewarding. Engaging in advanced humanoid robotics research required overcoming numerous technical hurdles. Key challenges included designing our own humanoid hardware platform, developing robust control algorithms, and integrating software control frameworks. My research during my Ph.D. has allowed me to solidify each component of our HECTOR humanoid robot platform and control framework as well as bring innovative features to this field, such as realizing continuous and dynamic parkour jumping over boxes (https://youtu.be/EQFgdbFYKvs).

Through this journey, we have learned several valuable lessons. One crucial insight is the importance of maintaining a user-centered approach. Our HECTOR open-source project was built upon understanding the needs and challenges of our users and how to help them conduct research and development in humanoid robotics more efficiently. This initiative will be beneficial to the whole humanoid community and promote collaborations for faster technology advancements.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a week-long trip in LA, I’d start with a visit to the Griffith Observatory and hike up to the Hollywood sign. We’d spend a day at Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze. For some culture, we’d explore the Getty Center and LACMA. Dining highlights would include brunch at The Ivy, tacos at Guelaguetza, and dinner at Nobu in Malibu. We’d spend a day in Malibu, enjoying the coastal views and stopping by the Getty Villa. A day trip to Disneyland or Universal Studios would add some theme park fun. Finally, we’d explore diverse neighborhoods like Silver Lake for unique shops and Abbot Kinney for its vibrant arts scene.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give my sincere shoutout to my family, who has always supported my decisions no matter what. I want to thank my parents for all their love and encouragement; I really miss you! I am also deeply grateful to my wife, who holds a special place in my heart, for your unconditional love and understandin

Website: https://junhengl.github.io/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/junheng-li-b24633206/

Image Credits
Photo credits by Junchao Ma

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