Humanoid robots: update and manufacturer overview

In the field of humanoid robots there were some news in the past days. Reason for a short summary. One thing is certain: The approach seems to be technologically feasible. The questions that are still open at the moment are the time of market entry of a series product (by the end of the decade at the latest?) and its price ($20,000 to $50,000?).

Boston Dynamics (USA)

Within a few days, the new video from Boston Dynamics already achieved almost 4 million views and much recognition. The "Atlas" model from Boston Dynamics, which has been known for years, has now been given hands and appears even more agile than before. Of importance here is that the hands/grippers can also grip heavy loads. Shown in the video as a wooden slat and a toolbox. The toolbox thrown in the video raises the fundamental question of how to work safely with such a robot.

His agility is remarkable. Musk recently had to lead his Optimus on stage like an old man. Why is he so agile? Is it just the good design or the construction of the pronounced back that provides the necessary balance. The latter would probably be a disadvantage for the mass market. That an Atlas should still cost a few $100,000 today seems beside the point. As shown here, there should still be a lot of room for improvement in terms of price.

iCub (Italy)

At 100 cm, the iCub from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is about the size of a five-year-old child. This makes this award-winning robot remarkably small, which makes it much easier to use functionally, but also reduces the market. Still, the movements are very fast and smooth and its steadiness can almost be described as extreme. The cost of this research robot is said to be €200,000.

Appronics for NASA

Texas-based Apptronik and NASA are jointly developing "Apollo." The goal is to create an "all-purpose platform" because it allows scaling. The humanoid robot, which looks quite compact, is to be presented to the public in March.

More Humanoid Robots

The blog keeps reporting about humanoid robots, most recently about

• Rainbow Robotics (South Korea) when Samsung acquired a stake in the company
• Neura Robotics
• Tesla
• Xiaomi
• EEVE - a real one-of-a-kind!

Are we networking? LinkedIn
-> To the Cobot group on LinkedIn (Link)

In my own account/advertisement
The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He answers companies the question if and how a robot could be used in your company (initial analysis including recommendation). This in the greater areas of Trier and Lüneburg as well as Eastern Germany without Leipzig/ Berlin for 700 € net, in the rest of Germany for an all-inclusive price of 1,750 € net (incl. travel). The low price is possible thanks to promotion. Permanently looking for interesting solutions, he has already seen hundreds of applications. For this reason, his customers also include large companies that have know-how but do not know the entire market. For companies with 250 employees or more or those based in Austria or Switzerland, the flat rate does not apply. Details can be found here.