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Humanoid robots

A humanoid robot is a robot designed to resemble the human body in shape, structure, and behavior. The goal is to enable robots to interact naturally with human environments and perform tasks in ways similar to humans.
Humanoid robots represent the next frontier in robotics with Human-like appearance: Featuring facial features, articulated arms, and legs for mobility. Bipedal locomotion: Requiring advanced balance and coordination. Sensors and perception: Equipped with cameras, microphones, tactile sensors, and sometimes depth sensors to perceive the environment and interact. Artificial intelligence: Enabling decision-making, natural language processing, and autonomous behavior. Human-robot interaction: Designed to communicate and collaborate effectively with humans.

Articulations (Legs and arms)

The Articulation Unit manages the complex control of the humanoid robot’s arms and legs, enabling smooth, precise, and coordinated multi-joint movements. It integrates motor control, sensing, power management, and signal conditioning to deliver respo
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Body main processing unit

The Body Main Processing Unit serves as the humanoid robot’s central computational hub, orchestrating core functions such as multi-axis motion control, sensor data aggregation, power management, and internal communication. This unit is critical for c
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Body sensing unit

The Body Sensing Unit is responsible for collecting and preprocessing data from a wide array of sensors distributed across the robot’s torso and limbs. This subsystem enables the robot to perceive its environment accurately and respond adaptively, su
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Connectivity unit

The Connectivity Unit manages all wireless and wired communication interfaces within the humanoid robot and between the robot and external systems. It ensures secure, reliable, and low-latency data exchange critical for coordinated operation, remote
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Hand unit

The Hand Unit is responsible for controlling fine motor movements and tactile sensing in the humanoid robot’s hands. It enables precise, multi-degree-of-freedom manipulation and provides sensory feedback necessary for delicate tasks such as grasping,
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Head unit

The Head Unit is the central hub for perception and interaction in humanoid robots, integrating advanced vision sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs), motor control for head articulation, wired communication interfaces, and power management. Thi
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Power management

The Connectivity Unit manages all wireless and wired communication interfaces within the humanoid robot and between the robot and external systems. It ensures secure, reliable, and low-latency data exchange critical for coordinated operation, remote
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Key Challenges for Humanoid Robotics

Major Challenges for Humanoid Robots

  • Price-competitiveness reducing the barrier of commercializing Humanoid Robots. 
  • Energy efficiency: this affects the operational hours of Robots.
  • Safety and Cybersecurity compliance: Meeting stringent safety standards and regulatory requirements for human-robot interaction.

Why Choose ST for Humanoid Robotics

ST offers a comprehensive and integrated portfolio of semiconductor products to meet the complex demands of humanoid robotics: High-performance STM32, STM32MP1/2 families, and AI-enabled NPUs for embedded AI and edge computing. Intelligent motor drivers, gate drivers, and power modules that enable precise, efficient control of multi-joint actuators and servos. Industry-accepted IMUs and a broad range of sensors, including 3-axis accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, ToF 3D imaging, radar, pressure, and environmental sensors, providing rich data for situational awareness and interaction. Connectivity solutions such as CAN, Ethernet, IO-Link, and wireless technologies (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) to ensure seamless communication and integration. Energy-efficient power ICs, battery monitoring, balancing, and management systems (BMS) to optimize power usage and extend robot uptime. Safety and security: Functional safety-certified MCUs and security solutions that protect human operators and intellectual property. STMicroelectronics provides a complete ecosystem for robotics development, including a wide variety of reference designs, commercialized partner modules, and a comprehensive support network.