UBTech offers humanoid research robot for around 41,000 US dollars
The Tiangong Walker is probably the first commercial humanoid robot developed specifically for research. Low costs should lower the barrier to entry.
The life-size humanoid robot Tiangong Walker has been specially developed for research facilities.
(Image: UBTech (Screenshot))
The Chinese robotics company UBTech and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center have jointly launched the humanoid robot Tien Kung Xingzhe, or Tiangong Walker, for research and education, the partners announced on Wednesday. The robot is probably the first commercial, life-size humanoid robot that has been specially developed for research purposes. The costs for it are comparatively low.
The Tiangong Walker is around 1.7 m tall and has a biomimetic torso and human-like motion control. It has 20 degrees of freedom without hands. It is driven by electric actuators, which are said to be very powerful. According to UBTech, the robot can run at speeds of up to 10 km/h. The Tiangong Walker is already equipped with a motion control system that allows it to negotiate slopes, steps, sand and snow. When walking, it can also be subjected to impacts, which it should be able to compensate for automatically.
Robust construction and full access to controls
Overall, the Tiangong Walker is deliberately designed to be robust for research use, where it can sometimes fall when trying out new functions. In order to keep its weight low, a titanium alloy was used in critical areas of the robot.
The design of the robot is based on the requirements of research and teaching and is at the cutting edge of humanoid robot technology. It is equipped with depth cameras, lidar and a robot-compatible Jetson ATX Orin computer from Nvidia, force sensors that measure over six axes and collaborative double-arm systems. It also supports multi-finger hands. As things stand at present, however, it will be delivered without hands.
Researchers have full access to the Tiangong Walker's motor, sensor and movement interfaces. UBTech also offers development guides and sample codes. If required, the computing power of the humanoid robot can be expanded to up to 550 Tera Operations per Second (TOPS).
UBTech and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center want to lower the barriers to the development of humanoid robot applications and embodied intelligence with the humanoid robot specially developed for research institutions. This also includes making the entry price attractive. Accordingly, the partners want to offer the Tiangong Walker for the equivalent of 41,310 US dollars. By comparison, a humanoid robot of roughly the same size and with similar features, such as the Unitree H1, costs around 90,000 dollars. The Tiangong Walker should be available from the second quarter of 2025.
(olb)