UBTech
Until now, robot workers had to stay plugged in or recharge periodically. UBTech has introduced the Walker S2 humanoid, which features dual batteries and can autonomously perform hot-swapping.
Bringing Battery Swapping Convenience to Humanoid Robots
The basic concept of battery swapping in transportation is to quickly replace a drained battery with a fully charged one, avoiding long recharge times. UBTech is now applying this same level of convenience to its humanoid robots.
The forthcoming Walker S2 worker robot features two battery compartments located on its back. When a battery runs low, the humanoid moves to a swap station, rotates its torso, and uses built-in tools to replace it with a charged one.
In the video, Walker S2’s hands appear swapped out for the demo, but the final version will likely combine battery tools with functional manipulators for regular tasks.
This setup clearly enables the potential for near-continuous 24/7 operation. Factory swap stations handle recharging, so S2’s only downtime is briefly swapping batteries before returning to work.
The swap stations can monitor the condition of each battery, allowing maintenance teams to replace any units showing signs of diminished capacity.
So far, Shenzhen-based UBTech hasn’t released detailed information about its new humanoid, leaving much to speculation. The S2 will likely use head-mounted cameras to spot charged batteries and autonomously swap them in dynamic industrial settings.
Human-Like Design with Functional Features for the Factory Floor
The robot, about 170 cm tall, walks like a human and features a display under its sensor array to share status updates with coworkers. An emergency shutdown button is located on its back—just in case.
We’ll have to wait for the official product page to get more details on specifications, pricing, and availability.
Read the original article on: New Atlas
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