WATCH: Iran unveils new humanoid robot

Iran’s University of Tehran this week put on display the Surena III, the latest generation of its humanoid robot, which it says will be used for research into robotics.

According to Dr. Aghil Yousefi-Koma, the Tehran University mechanical engineering professor who heads the Surena project, the robot is designed as a research platform to explore bipedal movement, human-robot interaction, and other challenges in robotics.

The professor told IEEE Spectrum, the magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, that he sees the machine as a symbol of technological advancement “in the direction of peace and humanity.”

Surena III stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters) tall and weighs 216 lbs (98 kilograms). It has a range of sensors, including a system that provides 3D vision, as well as 31 servomotors to move its joints.

According to the Daily Mail, the robot, which is named for Parthian General Surena, has voice recognition that allows it to interact with people (although it currently only speaks Farsi), and can recognize faces and copy human motions.

IEEE Spectrum says that while the Surena model has yet to demonstrate the advanced flexibility of other robots, such as Honda’s ASIMO android, which can run and hop on one foot, it has “been making steady progress in the past seven years.”