Jan 8 2019
UBTECH Robotics, a worldwide leader in intelligent humanoid robotics and AI technologies, has launched its most advanced robots ever with new versions of Walker, a revolutionary bipedal humanoid robot, and Cruzr, a tailored, cloud-based, humanoid service robot. With the incorporation of robotic arms and hands-on Walker and enhanced performance and reliability in Cruzr, UBTECH’s latest robots are ready to intelligently improve a person’s life at home and retail settings.
Walker, in a new, never-before-seen version that now includes arms and hands with the ability to grasp and manipulate objects. (Photo: Business Wire)
Demonstrations of Walker and Cruzr can be witnessed together with other UBTECH robots, including the award-winning Alpha Mini and JIMU Robot building kits, at UBTECH’s CES Booth #26402 in South Hall 2 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
UBTECH is on a multi-year mission to bring robots into every home and business by making them more intelligent, personal, and human-like in every way. Walker and Cruzr show the cutting edge of our vision, where robots can naturally interact with us to truly make a positive impact on the way we live and work, while allowing us to focus our unique human ingenuity where it matters most. We know robots will be the future, and UBTECH is at the forefront of bringing robots to everyone.
John Rhee, Senior Vice President and General Manager, UBTECH Robotics North America
Walker is an agile smart companion—an intelligent, bipedal humanoid robot that aims to soon be a necessary part of one’s family. Measuring 4.75 feet (1.45 m) in height and weighing 170 lbs (77 kg), the new version of Walker is more advanced than before, including hands and arms with the ability to grip and handle objects, a refined torso with enhanced self-balancing, smooth and stable walking in tough environments, and multi-modal interaction including vision, voice, and touch. Walker consists of 36 high-performance actuators and a complete range of sensing systems that work in tandem to ensure smooth and quick walking.
Key functions of Walker include:
- Flexible walking on complex terrain: With gait planning and control, Walker can accomplish stable walking on various surfaces including carpet, marble, floor, and more. Walker can also adapt to complex environments such as slopes, steps, obstacles, and uneven ground.
- Self-balancing: When Walker is disturbed by external inertia or impact, it can automatically alter its center of gravity to keep balance.
- Hand-eye coordination: Walker’s hands deliver seven degrees of freedom to flexibly control objects. By integrating its hands with its own perception, Walker can also position dynamic external objects while adapting to undefined conditions in real-time.
- U-SLAM navigation and obstacle avoidance: UBTECH Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (U-SLAM) uses environmental information to avoid hurdles and establish Walker’s best path through a dynamic environment.
- Face and object recognition: Walker has robust machine vision features to detect and recognize corresponding objects and faces in complex background environments.
- Smart home control: Walker can help users regulate common household equipment such as electrical appliances, lighting, and electrical sockets, improving convenience, safety, and comfort.
With so much groundbreaking technology incorporated into its humanoid robot body, Walker has the intelligence and capabilities to make a supportive impact in any business or home in the immediate future.
Similarly new at CES 2019 is the newest version of Cruzr, a tailored, cloud-based, intelligent humanoid service robot, incorporating features and refinements for better performance and reliability in Retail 4.0 environments. Already installed by customers in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America, Cruzr is where service meets intelligence, aiding businesses to link offline and online retail experience through smart data to better meet customer requirements, while freeing human teams to concentrate on more complex issues necessitating human interaction.
Fresh advantages of the newest version of Cruzr include:
- Refined body structure and servo motors: Increased reliability, improved arm movement, reduced noise, and obstacle avoidance guarantee Cruzr’s lifespan and usefulness match one’s business requirements.
- More powerful processor: A more robust and smoother software experience guarantees the best possible customer interactions.
- Redesigned audio chamber: Enhanced audio quality and volume helps Cruzr’s voice and other sounds to be heard above the environmental noise.
- Improved connectivity: The incorporation of 4G LTE functionality makes Cruzr more intelligent wherever it goes, and two HDMI ports and two USB ensure it is simple to connect peripherals.
- Improved navigation: Larger mapping capabilities with better location and cliff detection, navigation system optimization, and obstacle avoidance offer a smoother and more secure experience.
- Enhanced wheel design: New driver wheel design improves maneuverability and lowers noise.
The new version of Cruzr is available for sale globally, including North America for the first time in 2019.