Nepal's government is working on a bill that will allow the use of robots to clean Mount Everest's trash and monitor glacial melting.
According to The Kathmandu Post, the PEMBA project is initiated by US-based Geologic Dome and Nepal's Fourteen Peaks Expedition.
The plan is to send the robot to Everest during the spring climbing season this year. China's Unitree Robotics' humanoid robot Unitree G1 has been selected.
The trial expedition will last 52 days. The goal is to test the robot's ability to collect trash, monitor glaciers, and assist in dangerous mountain operations.
Standing about 1.3 meters tall and weighing 35 kg, the robot is equipped with 3D lidar and cameras. It has both five-finger and three-finger hands, each capable of carrying up to 3 kg. The battery lasts about two hours.
In February, the Unitree G1 underwent extreme environment tests in high altitude areas. The robot took 136,000 steps at -47.4°C in China's Xinjiang region.
