Humanoid Links with Bosch to Scale Production of Its Industrial Robots

London-based Humanoid announced a manufacturing agreement with Bosch that moves its HMND-01 robots closer to larger deployments across European factories and warehouses. The deal follows a successful proof-of-concept test completed in March at one of Bosch’s logistics sites in Bühl, Germany. During that trial, the robots handled box transfers from conveyors to trolleys, managing five different box sizes with varying weights and shapes without missing a step.

Humanoid develops robots for real-world applications, such as in factories and industrial environments. Their HMND-01 platform is available in two configurations: a 175 centimeter tall bipedal robot and a wheeled version. The bipedal one weighs roughly 70 kilograms and can move at a reasonable rate of 1.5 meters per second, which is quite quick for a robot. It can also carry a 15 kilogram payload with ease and run for approximately 4 hours on a single charge. There is also a wheeled variant, which is heavier, higher, and geared to handle demanding duties. Both versions run on Humanoid’s own KinetIQ system, which manages everything from perception to movement and actual task completion, and because they’re modular, they can be tailored to customers’ specific manufacturing or logistics needs.

Bosch has agreed to help Humanoid deliver these robots to Europe. With its extensive manufacturing facilities and experience creating extremely complicated systems, the German corporation brings significant expertise to the table. Bosch’s contract manufacturing agreement include assisting Humanoid with all of the technical aspects of constructing the robots. That begins with the design stage and continues all the way through to delivery, which includes supply chain coordination and, of course, cost control. Meanwhile, Humanoid is working on improving the design, with the goal of making it easier to make, more dependable for customers to use, simpler to fix if something goes wrong, and more economical in general.

The combined testing at Bühl produced some hopeful results, as the robots performed rather well in a real-world logistics scenario. They were scanning boxes, responding to changing conveyor belt inputs, and transferring products smoothly. That was enough to persuade both sides to take the project a step further and begin producing robots in larger quantities, rather than simply focusing on the prototype phase.

What the two companies want to accomplish next isn’t just to keep producing the same old robots. They also want to look into how Bosch-made components like as actuators, motors, and sensors may be employed in future versions of the HMND-01. The goal is to make the thing faster, stronger, and more tightly integrated with the equipment and systems it works with.
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