China’s Engine AI Unveils First Humanoid Robot to Perform Front Flip

Engine AI, a robotics company in Shenzhen, has revealed the PM01 humanoid robot, which can perform a front flip—a rare feat for bipedal machines.

A demonstration video shows the PM01 executing the flip, walking smoothly, and interacting with the public. Front flips are harder for humanoid robots than backflips due to complex weight shifting and balance control. The forward motion makes landings less stable, unlike backflips that maintain center of mass alignment and enable stronger leg pushes.

Electric humanoids face greater challenges with flips because their motors produce less instantaneous power compared to hydraulic systems. The PM01’s lower center of mass improves stability and reduces the torque needed to rotate. Shenzhen’s police department is reportedly testing the robot for potential law enforcement use.

The PM01 is a scaled-down version of Engine AI’s SE01 flagship. It stands 1.38 meters (4.5 feet) tall, weighs 40 kilograms (88 pounds), and features a bionic exoskeleton with 24 degrees of freedom. Powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin and Intel N97 CPUs, it has a 320-degree waist rotation and uses an Intel RealSense depth camera for spatial awareness.

The PM01 is drawing comparisons to robots from Unitree Robotics and Boston Dynamics. In November 2017, Boston Dynamics' Atlas became the first humanoid robot to perform a backflip. In March 2024, Unitree’s H1 was the first fully electric humanoid to achieve the same feat, followed by an electric version of Atlas in December 2024.

Positioned between the Unitree G1 and Booster T1 in size, the PM01 is carving out a space in the small humanoid market with its combination of agility and new features.