Ever dreamed of owning your own AT-ST walker from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi? The newly revealed Tron 1 biped robot is the next best thing. It's slightly smaller than a walker and, unfortunately, doesn't have room for you to ride inside.

Created by Chinese robotics company LimX Dynamics, which also develops quadruped and humanoid robots, the Tron 1 is the commercial version of the company's prototype P1 Biped. Earlier this year, the P1 was seen navigating rugged woodland terrain and even withstanding being struck with a branch.

Figure 1. Tron 1 with Sole, Point-Foot, or Wheeled Foot-Ends for Varied Locomotion

The Tron 1 is built to endure tough conditions, as it's primarily intended for engineers to use as a testbed platform for humanoid robot motion control and embodied intelligence research. [1] Unfortunately, it's not designed for battling the Rebel Alliance. Figure 1 shows Tron 1 with Sole, Point-Foot, or Wheeled Foot-Ends for Varied Locomotion

Designed with various research applications in mind, the robot features three interchangeable foot-ends, allowing for different types of locomotion.

One foot-end, the Point-Foot, is a rounded rubberized nub that provides the most agile performance, used by the P1 during its woodland trek. There's also the Sole foot-end, designed to better replicate a human walking gait. Lastly, the Wheeled foot-end lets the robot swiftly travel across flat terrain on motorized wheels, while still being able to climb over obstacles by locking the wheels in place and using them as feet.

The Tron 1 features an automatic hardware recognition system that detects the installed foot-end and switches to the appropriate onboard motion-control software. Users can operate the robot in real time using an included wireless remote, or program it for autonomous operation using the Python programming language.

The Tron 1 features an aluminum/plastic body, standing 854 mm tall (33.6 in) and weighing under 20 kg (44 lb). It is powered by a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 processor and offers over two hours of runtime on a 1.5-hour charge of its lithium battery. [2] Expansion ports are available for adding peripherals like cameras, radar/lidar units, and robotic arms.

If you're interested in owning a Tron 1, limited-time introductory pricing starts at US$15,000. You can watch the robot in multi-modal action in the video below.

References:

1. https://www.techeblog.com/limx-tron-1-multi-modal-biped-robot/
2. https://newatlas.com/robotics/limx-tron-1-biped-robot/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2024), The "World's First Multi-Modal Biped Robot" Could Be Yours Soon, AnaTechmaz, pp. 94