Reviews

UBTECH Unveils Next-Generation Intelligent Humanoid Robots that you must have

Humanoid Robots

Managing a smart home never be so easy, but Ubtech Robotics wants to help you with its all-new high-tech assistant: Meet Walker, a fantastic bipedal humanoid robot that can hold objects, control voice-activated devices, and utilize facial recognition,

Ubtech Robotics revealed Walker at CES 2019 this year and declared in a press release that they upgraded Walker with soft hands and arms that can quickly grasp objects. Walker has so many other new specialties as well, hand-eye coordination, including flexible walking, and the all-new feature- obstacle avoidance.

Curious customers will have to wait to buy Walker though: The company has not disclosed the price or release date for this Robo yet.

UBTECH Robotics, a global leader in AI technologies and intelligent humanoid robotics, today unveiled it’s most excellent robots ever with the new cool versions of Walker, a groundbreaking bipedal humanoid robot, and Cruzr, cloud-based customized humanoid service robot. With the addition of robotic arms and hands-on Walker and improved performance and reliability in Cruzr, UBTECH’s newest robots are ready to enhance your life at home and retail environments intelligently.

Multi-modal Interaction

You can Interact with a walker using voice, vision, motion, action, text, and expressions to perform various activities

Unrelenting R&D for better performance

Currently, UBTECH spends 45% of its annual revenue on further R&D. In addition to its work on servos, the company is also focused on improving its algorithms – used to control the robot’s movement to make better robots and bring the cost down even more.

UBTECH uses the general-purpose CPU chip that carries an algorithm for each servo that makes the robot move in a particular manner. Rival robotics companies that are weaker in R&D often use special-purpose chips with the previously integrated algo that cost a lot more. According to UBTECH algorithms match those of Honda’s ASIMO and Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, which are among the best in the world.

In addition to focusing on their own core technology, UBTECH also partners with other tech firms to use their expertise to improve their products, e.g., applying iFlytek’s voice identification software to UBTECH’s interactive robots. Lynx, one of UBTECH’s humanoid robots, carries Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant.

Enter Walker, UBTECH’s most forward robot till now. This cool bipedal humanoid Robo has 36 high-performance servo joints and a full range of sensing systems that allow for more soft and smooth transitions.

Core functions of Walker include:

Smart home control: Walker has an open and convenient intelligent home API, which allows users to control conventional smart home devices and appliances according to user habits.

Flexible walking on complex terrain: With motion planning and control, Walker can perform stable walking on different kinds of surfaces including carpet, marble, floor, and much more. Walker can also accommodate multiple environments such as slopes, obstacles, steps, and rugged ground.

Self-balancing:  When Walker is disturbed by the outer impact of inertia, it can automatically adjust its center of gravity and maintain its balance.

Hand-eye coordination: Walker’s hands allow seven degrees of freedom to manage objects flexibly. By coupling its hands with its own knowledge, Walker can also position dynamic external objects while adapting to possible conditions in real-time.

U-SLAM exploration and barrier avoidance: UBTECH Simultaneous Localization and Mapping uses environmental information to avoid barriers and determine  Walker’s best path through the dynamic environment.

Face and object recognition: Walker has powerful machine vision capabilities to detect and recognize corresponding faces and objects in complex background environments.

Smart home control: Walker love helps its users control standard household equipment such as electrical appliances, lighting, and electrical sockets, enhancing safety, convenience, and comfort.

Family Service: Walker loves to help you complete simple household chores that allow for more quality family time. Walker’s flexible mobility will enable it to walk freely everywhere at your home. It can also help control smart house devices and intelligent applications in your home.

Commercial Display: Walker can act as a concierge and receptionist, answering frequently asked questions and guide the customer experience. To ensure premium security, Walker has accurate facial recognition technology and a digital surveillance system that works automatically to scan visitors, collect, and then analyze data. Let it be the MC at your next grand opening, ribbon-cutting, or award ceremony.

 BTEC’s press release:

“Walker is a very flexible, smart companion – a powerful, quick, bipedal humanoid robot that aims to one day be an indispensable part of your family. Standing 4.75 feet (1.45m) tall and weighing 170lbs (77kg), the all-new version of Walker is more forward-looking than ever, including arms and hands with the ability to grasp and manipulate objects, a refined torso with improved self-balancing, smooth and stable walking in the difficult environments, and multi-modal interaction including voice, vision, and touch. Walker has 36 high-performance actuators and a full range of sensing systems that work together to ensure smooth and fast walking”.

There are very few things to keep in mind here. Walker appears to walk reasonably well on a flat surface free of obstacles and does not fall over, but that may or may not be the reasonable representation of how Walker would work in an environment that is even slightly different. The piano playing is very fair, but the fingers do not appear to be actively actuated, at least in that version of the robot.

I do like the box tracking and handoff, and it is nice that Walker can sense and react to external forces, though I am not sure we could say it is completely safe for human-robot interaction. It is also worth pointing out that the push recovery, at this point, is very much best-case scenario: Walker is being driven from the side while its near foot is planted; if started from the front or from behind while stationary, it may not fare so well.

Walker Robo is specially designed for the customer’s smart home guide. Key features of this bipedal humanoid robot include arms and hands that can manipulate objects, so it can pour beverages or play the piano. It also has sensing systems that help it walk properly on marble and carpet floors.

For smart home management, Walker can help with two tasks: First, it can use face and object identification to detect loved ones and family guests. Plus, Walker can control other smart home devices, including voice recognition technology,  lights, speakers, and other advanced appliances.

I am absolutely eager to see what Walker enhances capable of as UBTECH continues its evolution, and it is rare that a consumer robotics company is investing in the humanoid Robo like this. As we well know, making bipedal humanoids that can do useful things is very, very hard, and Walker is effective even in its current state. Still, it’s fundamental to be clear about what the capabilities and constraints of the robot actually are, especially when UBTECH suggests the robot “has the capacity and capabilities to make a significant impact on the home or business in the near future,” and that it will “one day be an essential part of your family.”

The Latest

Latest Technology Innovations, Reviews and Gadgets

Leading tech magazine that keeps you updated about the latest technology news, Innovations, gadget, game, and much more. Best site to get in-depth coverage on the tech industry today. We are a leading digital publisher to explore recent technology innovations, product reviews, and gadgets guide.

Copyright © 2018 Article Farmer.

To Top