LimX Dynamics is doing fascinating work in the robotics space. Four months after impressing us with its talented humanoid robot Oli, the three-year-old tech startup has just unveiled Tron 2, which, as the name suggests, is the successor to Tron 1.
According to the video (above) released by LimX on Thursday, Tron 2 is an advanced, AI-powered modular humanoid robot with remarkable strength and movement.
The video grabs your attention from the start, opening with the strange sight of a pair of robotic legs – and nothing else – running along. However, with a few turns of a screwdriver, Tron 2 suddenly gains a head and a pair of arms that look like repurposed legs, and is then shown lifting a few large water bottles.
For those unimpressed with the robot’s weight-lifting abilities, a woman then takes a third bottle of water and sits on an attached swing. After a short pause, Tron 2 lifts the entire load seemingly effortlessly.
We then see Tron 2 show off its AI intelligence and use its grippers to perform various sorting tasks. However, it’s not clear from the video how clever or nimble he really is.
LimX’s humanoid robot is also capable of low-latency teleoperation, mimicking the movements of a human operator. In addition to supporting AI training, teleoperation also enables the completion of tasks that are currently too complex for autonomous robots. Rival robotics company 1X Technologies uses teleoperation for some of the more demanding tasks of its NEO robot.
The footage also shows Tron 2 playing table tennis, climbing stairs, rolling around on wheels and doing cartwheels. It’s all very impressive.
At the end of his video presentation. LimX believes that Tron 2, or a robot very similar to it, would be ideal for future Mars missions due, among other things, to its high agility, modular design and intelligent AI.
LimX appears to be offering Tron 2 for purchase, but the price has yet to be listed on its website. We’ve reached out to the company for more information about Tron 2 and its target customer base, and we’ll update this article as soon as we hear back.
