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Disney's robot acrobat Stickman could flip its way into the circus

Cirque du Machine?

Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor
Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches -- obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.
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Mike Sorrentino

These acrobatic robots can do flips and untuck for a safe landing.

 Disney Research Hub

Acrobats beware. Disney's limber new armless robots may out-flip you one day. 

The Disney Research Hub published its work Tuesday on Stickman, an acrobatic robot that can swing through the air, do flips and then untuck its body for a safe landing.

The robots use a processor, gyroscopes and a lot of data to predict how to safely pull off their high-flying stunts, which include a single backflip, a double backflip and a graceful free-fall.

Here's Stickman as he flies through the air, seemingly with the greatest of ease -- until you think of all the research that went into it.

The robot can sense when it's the right time to tuck its body.

 Disney Reserach Hub

And if you want to dive into that research, the team behind Stickman have published their findings for you to read here.