From Screen to Stage: Kid Cosmo, A Life-Like, Torque-Controlled Humanoid for Entertainment Robotics

Abstract: Humanoid robots represent the cutting edge of robotics research, yet their potential in entertainment remains largely unexplored. Entertainment as a field prioritizes visuals and form, a principle that contrasts with the purely functional designs of most contemporary humanoid robots. Designing entertainment humanoid robots capable of fluid movement presents a number of unique challenges. In this paper, we present Kid Cosmo, a research platform designed for robust locomotion and life-like motion generation while imitating the look and mannerisms of its namesake character from Netflix's movie The Electric State. Kid Cosmo is a child-sized humanoid robot, standing 1.45 m tall and weighing 25 kg. It contains 28 degrees of freedom and primarily uses proprioceptive actuators, enabling torque-control walking and lifelike motion generation. Following worldwide showcases as part of the movie's press tour, we present the system architecture, challenges of a functional entertainment robot and unique solutions, and our initial findings on stability during simultaneous upper and lower body movement. We demonstrate the viability of performance-oriented humanoid robots that prioritize both character embodiment and technical functionality.