What Can It Actually Do? New Evaluation Model Checks the Skills of Humanoid Robots

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A team from the Fraunhofer "HNFIZ" has published a newly developed evaluation model that classifies the technical capabilities of human-like robots across five expansion stages ...

The shortage of skilled workers is constantly increasing and this also applies to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Smart robot systems—including humanoid robots (humanoids for short)—therefore promise to provide a remedy for industry and logistics. Companies are faced with the key question of when and for which tasks humanoid robots are or will be technically and economically viable. Many companies and research institutes are already testing the first systems, it is said. However, a comprehensive evaluation model that would allow comparisons to be made between the robot systems has so far been lacking. The experts at the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centers ("HNFIZ"), together with colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), have been able to successfully change this ...

Find Out the Maturity Level of Humanoids Transparently

The IPA worked with the "AI-based Robotics" research and innovation center, which is part of the "HNFIZ", to fill this gap. In this context, the focus was on "intelligent" mobile manipulation and the flexible use of robot hands—including on humanoid robot systems. The result was what is known as the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator. It is roughly inspired by the five levels of automation in autonomous driving and evaluates humanoids on the basis of four collective categories, which often contain different technical capabilities and their expansion stages. These are

• Mobility and locomotion (including aspects such as localization and path planning);
• Manipulation (this includes force perception and grip planning);
• Cognition (this is aimed at perception and task planning);
• Safety and security (ensure the ability to collaborate with people).

For each ability within a collective category, humanoids can be classified according to maturity levels from 0 (not available) to 4 (highly autonomous = comparable to humans or better), according to the further explanation. For the first time, this enables a transparent, manufacturer-independent and, not least, well-founded comparison of different humanoids and information on their suitability for specific applications.

How to Find the Right Robot, Or Develop One ...

The publication of the development as a whitepaper illustrates nothing less than the use of the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator in typical industrial use cases, such as truck loading and unloading, order picking, machine operation and maintenance tasks. The necessary technical maturity levels in the four capability areas are shown for each task. For example, truck loading places the highest demands on manipulation, cognition and safety, while lower requirements are sufficient for machine operation because the process is more structured and therefore the execution of the task requires less flexibility. The automation department at Fraunhofer IPA tested the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator using a current humanoid robot, more precisely the G1 from Unitree Robotics (Fig.). It has been shown that the current G1 version has already made considerable progress in some areas (such as mobility), as emphasized. However, there is still a considerable need for development in order to fully meet industrial requirements. However, the evaluation model now makes these gaps more obvious and provides targeted support in setting development priorities or making investment decisions more quickly.

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