A GIANT LEAP FOR ROBOTKIND? The technology of humanoid and quadruped robotics is advancing by leaps and bounds – literally. Hardly a day goes by without a video emerging of one of these machines performing acrobatic feats that would have been considered impossible even a few years ago. They can perform backwards ips, sideways somersaults, run with a uidity and speed rivalling those of humans, and manipulate objects with increasing dexterity and precision. Investors are falling over each other to plough millions into humanoid robot developers. For example, the US rm Apptronik recently raised $350m in funding – only to add another $53m a few weeks later. And the Californian humanoid start-up, Figure AI,is reportedly in talks to raise $1.5bn, which would value it at $39.5bn (up from $2.6bn as recently as last year). There are also signs that these machines are transitioning from laboratory demonstrations to mass-produced practical machines. Mercedes-Benz is already trialling the use of humanoids for production-line tasks, while several Chinese car-makers are also reported to be applying these technologies in their operations. Large-scale production is also under way. Figure AI, for example, is working on a new plant that will manufacture up to 12,000 of its Figure 03 humanoids a year, and says that its supply chain could “easily” scale to produce 100,000 robots within four years. It plans to start using its own robots to build themselves later this year. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is aiming to build 5,000 of Tesla’s Optimus humanoids by the end of this year, adding that the company had enough parts for 10,000 or more. He has talked of producing “at least one legion of robots this year, and then probably ten legions next year”. For automation engineers, what goes into a humanoid robot is almost as interesting as what they can do. These are some of the most complex machines ever devised, with well over 100 axes of motion which must be controlled in a carefully coordinated way for the robots to perform their tasks eectively. The failure of any single axis could prevent the robot from operating as expected. Real-world reliability and safety could be critical to how well they succeed. Mass-producing these machines with their thousands of precision components could also be a challenge. But Figure AI, for one, believes it is up to the challenge. It has decently detailed the progress it has made in several areas, including creating a software infrastructure, and moving to moulding processes that can manufacture parts in less than 20 seconds that previously took longer than a week to create on CNC machines. More than two dozen companies are now working on humanoid robots around the world – including at least one in the UK. It is unlikely that all will succeed. But it does feel as though humanoid technologies are now making the transition from technological curiosities to real-world machines that could have far-reaching implications for how factories of the future operate. Tony Sacks, Editor n COMMENT Follow us on LinkedIn @Drives & Controls Follow us X Drives&Controls & rives Join us Facebo Drives & C on X @Drivesn Forthe D on ok Controls Controls latest news visit Controls the Driv www.driv ves & Controls we vesncontrols.com
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