n TECHNOLOGY A UK ROBOT DEVELOPER has produced a wheeled humanoid robot, aimed at industrial applications, in just seven months – which it claims is the fastest humanoid development ever. London-based Humanoid (also known as SKL Robotics) has completed two proofs-of-concept of its HMD 01 robot with commercial partners, and hopes to launch commercial versions within 12 months. Humanoid is backed by $50m of founder-led capital. In the past year, it has created a 175-strong team of experts drawn from Europe and beyond, including people who have worked for Apple, Tesla, Google, Boston Dynamics, Sanctuary AI and Nvidia. Initially, the company plans to target applications in warehouses, logistics hubs and retail facilities. Its robots are designed to take on repetitive, physically demanding tasks such as picking and sorting goods, feeding machines, kitting, loading and unloading parts, and supporting packaging and fulfilment activities. Later, the company plans to add a two-legged walking version of its robot, aimed at domestic applications. The robot’s developers believe that the 220cm-tall HMND 01 Alpha machine is the most robust wheeled robotic platform in the world. It can reach speeds of up to 7.2km/h (2m/s) and carry loads of up to 15kg – or more if the payloads are kept close to the body. It can reach from floor level up to heights of 2m, and work with shelves up to 60cm deep, allowing it to pick goods directly from the ground or from high storage locations. It will have an average battery run time of four hours. The 300kg Alpha model has 29 active degrees of freedom (DoF), excluding its end-effectors, and is powered by an AI-driven reasoning engine. It can be fitted either with 12DoF five-fingered hands or with 1-DoF parallel grippers, allowing it to adapt to tasks requiring either dexterity or simple/heavy handling. The robot’s head is equipped with 360-degree RGB cameras and two depth sensors. By working alongside people in environments designed for humans, the robot is designed to boost throughput, reduce errors, and improve working conditions – without the costly infrastructure changes typical of traditional automation. “Robots shouldn’t replace people, they should support them,” says Humanoid’s founder, Artem Sokolov. “After scaling my family’s manufacturing business, I saw firsthand the toll that repetitive work took on employees – including my own grandparents. HMND 01 is built to fill the labour gaps, letting people to focus on more meaningful work. “We are targeting a $38bn industrial TAM (total addressable market), projected to reach $1 trillion by 2050, with a clear path to market leadership in Europe. Globally, robot density averages 162 per 10,000 workers. Each additional robot can boost productivity by up to 7%, which means more output, fewer errors, and less strain on the team. That’s why we see HMND 01 not just as a machine, but as a step toward a more sustainable and human-centred future of work.” The HMND 01 Alpha version is designed primarily for testing in industrial facilities, to find out which of its functions are market-ready, which need refinement, and what additional capabilities may be needed. These findings will help to shape a commercial (Beta) version of the wheeled robot, which is due in Q3 2026. Humanoid plans to offer its machines on a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) basis, allowing users to achieve a fast ROIs, with potential labour cost savings of up to 50%, while experiencing first-hand how intelligent humanoid robots can enhance productivity and improve working conditions. The robots are based on Nvidia’s Jetson Thor platform. They can interact intelligently in real time with people and their surroundings – essential for operating in industrial environments and, eventually, in consumer applications. Artem Sokolov believes that his company is driving the UK’s leadership in global robotics development, and laying the foundation for future commercial rollouts. “With one of the world’s strongest talent pools in AI, engineering, and advanced manufacturing, the UK offers a rare level of expertise needed to build world-class robotic systems,” he says. “London and the broader UK ecosystem combine deep academic research, start-up culture, and access to global capital – a unique combination that allows to lead the next wave of humanoid robotics.” https://thehumanoid.ai Industrial humanoid ‘will make UK a global leader in robotics’ Long-armed cobot tackles demanding, space-constrained tasks October 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 20 THE COLLABORATIVE ROBOT market leader, Universal Robots (UR), has unveiled a longreach cobot designed to tackle demanding automation challenges. With the same 1750mm reach as the earlier UR20 cobot and a much slimmer profile, the new UR8 Long has an 8kg payload capacity, and combines reach, stability and precision in a rugged, compact and lightweight form. It is said to be ideal for space-constrained set-ups and industrial tasks ranging from complex welding tasks, to fast, precise bin-picking. The UR8 Long has an improved joint architecture said to result in cycle times that are up to 30% faster than earlier cobots. It is 30% lighter than the UR20 and its compact wrist design also makes it ideal for mounting on gantries, rails, or overhead systems, where external axes can operate more efficiently. A new motion control technology called MotionPlus simplifies the cobot’s integration with linear axes, rotary positioners and rotary turntables, for precise control, smoother trajectories, and consistent accuracy. Humanoid’s first machine will be a wheeled robot aimed at logistics and industrial applications.
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