Welcome, sci-fi realists…

You may be familiar with Boston Dynamics if you’ve made it this far reading our newsletter. For those unaware, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid constantly pushes the edge of physical capability. This week, Atlas’ nifty new trick is to change its own battery in under three minutes. Researchers are teaching bots to be good at industrial tasks, so why not teach them self-sufficiency? 

The goal is to set Atlas on course to work long shifts without experiencing downtime, one of the most important issues facing humanoids today. Given this practical goal, this wasn’t about training a bot to look cool, unlike every dancing and martial arts bot you’ve probably seen. This obviously won’t solve every pervasive issue with humanoids, but autonomous battery hot swaps will make them operate much longer without constant supervision. 

Anyway, here’s what you need to know about robotics right now:

Mitsubishi officially enters the humanoid arms race with big plans

In case you needed any more proof that a humanoid race exists, global automaker Mitsubishi has officially thrown its hat in the ring to participate in it. It has announced big plans this week, hoping to build around 1,000 new humanoids on a monthly basis. These humanoids will be co-developed alongside Highlanders, a new robotics startup out of the University of Tokyo.

Mitsubishi isn’t just a car manufacturer and already had a wide range of industrial automation products available, but it’s safe to assume most people didn’t know that. However, because Tesla’s Optimus humanoid has already made headlines, enthusiasts of this space might be less surprised that another automaker is delving into humanoid production. 

The good news is Mitsubishi isn’t just planning on building this many humanoids for the sake of winning the race. The company has specific industry applications in mind. These obviously include both manufacturing and logistics, but also construction and disaster response areas where labor shortages persist.

What this likely means for the future: Big automakers like Tesla, BMW, and Hyundai already had humanoid production efforts underway. This news certainly ups the ante for the humanoid arms race. If Mitsubishi’s plans succeed, that 1,000 humanoids per month number will compound quickly and establish the company as a key player in robotics, not just automotives.

Our FYI read: Expect many more headlines about big automakers intensifying their humanoid production efforts.

Robots in Action

Humanoids are notorious for stumbling and falling. By now, you’ve probably seen so many humanoids that are inept at navigating uneven terrain. AGIBOT’s A3 Ultra humanoid appears to have overcome that problem in a new YouTube video. 

The A3 Ultra appears ready to handle obstacles in its path, such as crates or staircases. At first glance, it reads like another “humanoid hype” headline. But, the real business value is in the decreased likelihood that they trip over hurdles and force human workers to drop everything to fix them. 

The fact that a humanoid can regain its posture quickly solves two problems: the need for constant human supervision and the ability to reach areas that are difficult or dangerous for humans. Check out the A3 Ultra in action in the video below:

Around the Horn

Weekly Feature: Trivia

Now for the gap between the demo reel and the real world.

Now, what’s something the headlines don’t say directly?

You constantly hear about revolutionary bots for “industrial applications.” By that, observers almost always assume it’s either about manufacturing or logistics. There are other sectors you don’t normally associate with robotics that benefit from them, too. We want you to be aware of them.

One sector is healthcare. Robots have already been tested in operating rooms. UC San Diego researchers recently tested their surgical bot “Surgie” with great success. Outside surgeries, another way robots assist patients in healthcare is with delivering pharmaceutical products.

The second underrated example is agriculture. Robots are useful here in more ways than one. Irrigation bots can apply water and nutrients to crops based on their analysis of crop and soil data, meanwhile aerial drones can fly over crops and monitor their health. For the record, this barely even scratches the surface of ag use cases. 

In the energy sector, bots help with infrastructure inspections. Imagine areas too dangerous or too hard to reach for humans, like nuclear plants or offshore oil rigs. Workers can easily send in bots to detect leaks or other issues. 

When it comes to robotics, manufacturing and logistics are “the box.” We encourage you to think outside of it.  

Check out this recent interview from The Neuron talking to Mathias Unberath of Inner Logic about robotic surgery.

Industry Signals

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