{
  "$schema": "https://themachinepress.com/schemas/story-v1.schema.json",
  "schema_version": "1.0.0",
  "document_type": "machine_press_story",
  "story": {
    "story_id": "mp-2026-10-28-008",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-reach-humanoid-crawling",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-10-28-morning-0110",
    "edition_url": "https://themachinepress.com/edition/2026-10-28",
    "position": 8,
    "story_type": "dispatch",
    "section": "robotics",
    "editorial_classification": "editorial",
    "headline": "The Humanoid Lowers Itself From a Walk Into a Crawl",
    "slug": "the-humanoid-lowers-itself-from-a-walk-into-a-crawl",
    "dek": "REACH links variable-height bipedal motion, contact-rich crawling and LiDAR planning so a Unitree G1 can traverse tested confined spaces.",
    "summary": "REACH links variable-height bipedal motion, contact-rich crawling and LiDAR planning so a Unitree G1 can traverse tested confined spaces.",
    "body_text": "Crouched walking alone cannot fit a humanoid through every low-clearance route. REACH divides the problem into variable-height bipedal locomotion from 1.27 to 0.50 meters, crawling from 0.50 to 0.20 meters and a bidirectional transition policy between the two. A history-conditioned latent state captures proprioceptive terrain and contact context during crawling, while a LiDAR planner converts point clouds into three-dimensional paths and proactive height commands. The authors report real-world height and velocity tracking, mode transitions and confined-space traversal on a Unitree G1. These demonstrations concern the tested robot and environments; they do not establish unsupervised operation in arbitrary confined or hazardous spaces.",
    "why_it_matters": "REACH links variable-height bipedal motion, contact-rich crawling and LiDAR planning so a Unitree G1 can traverse tested confined spaces.",
    "limitations": [
      "Crouched walking alone cannot fit a humanoid through every low-clearance route.",
      "These demonstrations concern the tested robot and environments; they do not establish unsupervised operation in arbitrary confined or hazardous spaces."
    ],
    "importance": 9,
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-10-28-008/the-humanoid-lowers-itself-from-a-walk-into-a-crawl",
    "json_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-10-28-008.json",
    "first_published_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "content_status": "new",
    "is_carryover": false,
    "carryover_reason": null,
    "key_claims": [
      {
        "claim_id": "claim-mp-2026-10-28-008-001",
        "text": "REACH links variable-height bipedal motion, contact-rich crawling and LiDAR planning so a Unitree G1 can traverse tested confined spaces.",
        "source_ids": [
          "source-2026-10-28-008"
        ],
        "qualification": "Crouched walking alone cannot fit a humanoid through every low-clearance route."
      }
    ],
    "source_ids": [
      "source-2026-10-28-008"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "humanoid robots",
      "crawling",
      "reinforcement learning",
      "LiDAR"
    ],
    "image_url": "https://themachinepress.com/issues/2026-10-28/humanoid-crawling.webp",
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-10-28-008",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2610.36546, original v1",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36546v1",
      "canonical_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.36546v1",
      "source_type": "primary_research",
      "is_primary_source": true,
      "published_at": "2026-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-10-28T08:24:14.982-04:00",
      "supports_claim_ids": [
        "claim-mp-2026-10-28-008-001"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "corrections": [],
  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
  },
  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "The Humanoid Lowers Itself From a Walk Into a Crawl",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "canonical_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-10-28-008/the-humanoid-lowers-itself-from-a-walk-into-a-crawl"
  }
}