The development and use of humanoid robots is a current trending topic. NMF participates in a Bavarian initiative on this subject, is a science partner of isento, and develops its own components and use cases.
Humanoid robots at NMF
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The development and deployment of humanoid robots holds great potential, particularly in the context of rising labor costs, skills shortages and demographic change. The current industrial transformation, the necessary mechanical and electronic components, as well as the software and the application of artificial intelligence, represent a crucial future field for Bavaria as a manufacturing location, in which NMF is positioning itself with its own developments.
On February 18th, Bayern Innovativ hosted the kick-off workshop for an alliance to develop the field of humanoid robotics into a “global-leading deep-tech ecosystem.” In addition to NMF, representatives from research institutions, numerous companies from the supplier and software industries and various users participated. The goal is to establish a sustainable and future-proof economic sector in Bavaria by 2036, focusing on “innovation, competitiveness, and technological sovereignty”. Solutions for customized materials and production processes for the various mechatronic and structural components of humanoid robots will be developed in collaboration with and at NMF. Furthermore, the identification and testing of use cases in a near-production environment will take place in our pilot plant facilities.
In this respect, NMF is collaborating as a science partner with isento GmbH from Nuremberg. With pib (Printable Intelligent Bot), isento is breaking new ground in the field of humanoid robotics. pib is a humanoid robot that clearly distinguishes itself from classic robot systems through its cost-efficient and adaptable design. Unlike expensive, closed platforms, pib is primarily based on additive manufacturing, which allows components to be quickly adapted, replaced, and produced cost-effectively. This makes its use economically attractive in significantly more application areas.
Currently, pib is characterized by a flexible hardware architecture with high modularity. In addition to standard polymers, NMF is specifically testing the use of alternative materials, including fiber-reinforced plastics such as PA6-GF and prepregs, which, as pre-impregnated fiber composites, offer high strength at low weight. Furthermore, aluminum and magnesium castings are being evaluated for structurally stressed components. This is done in combination with design modifications to optimize the design for stress and manufacturability, followed by testing in our pib, which has been named “Robert.”
On the software side, a custom-developed voicebot enables natural human-robot interaction with “Robert.” This is currently based on cloud-based AI with speech processing, text generation and output using OpenAI technologies, controlled via a central Python architecture. Future focus will be on fully localizing the AI by using a Small Language Model directly on the robot, significantly improving data privacy and independence.
We will keep you updated on Robert’s next steps!
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