What stands 178 cm tall (5 ft, 10 in), weighs 85 kg (187 lb) and has five-fingered fingers with 12 levels of freedom? That is proper, it is the Kepler Forerunner humanoid robotic, and it is set to debut subsequent week at CES.

Manufactured by China’s Kepler Exploration Robotic Firm, the Forerunner is designed to be a direct competitor to Tesla’s Optimus robotic. That mentioned, it is a bit dearer. Whereas the most recent worth estimate for the Optimus is lower than US$20,000, the Forerunner must go for about $30,000.

One of many robotic’s massive promoting options are the proprietary planetary curler screw actuators in its legs and arms. These ship as much as 8,000 Newtons (1,798 pound-force) of thrust to the elbow, knee and ankle joints.

In accordance with Kepler, these actuators “surpass standard motors in delivering precision management, enhanced energy and fast responsiveness, adeptly dealing with complicated duties.” Customized rotary actuators transfer the waist and shoulder joints.

Kepler

The Forerunner perceives its environment through a gaggle of sensors situated in its head. These units embrace a wide-angle binocular digicam, a far-field array of 4 microphones, an accelerometer and an AHRS (perspective and heading reference system). It will probably additionally communicate to folks through an artificial voice module and stereophonic audio system.

The entire sensory information is processed through Kepler’s proprietary Nebula AI system, reportedly permitting the robotic to navigate complicated environments and keep away from obstacles whereas strolling throughout uneven terrain. Its fingers can each sense and gently grasp objects, plus in addition they enable the robotic to select up and carry heavy objects – an actual lifting/carrying capability hasn’t been supplied at this level.

Kepler

In accordance with Kepler, a number of variations of the Forerunner shall be out there, aimed toward purposes akin to manufacturing, inspection, high-risk duties, out of doors work, plus robotics analysis and schooling.

Manufacturing and transport ought to begin within the third quarter of this yr. You’ll be able to see the robotic in motion, in a video on the corporate web site linked under.

Supply: Kepler