"Semi-humanoid" robots featuring human-like upper bodies mounted on wheeled bases are emerging in rapid succession. These designs sacrifice bipedal legs in favor of industrial-grade performance and faster mass production. Breaking free from the bipedal stereotype, semi-humanoid robots are heading to industrial sites first.
According to industry sources on the 8th, domestic robot developers are unveiling industrial semi-humanoid robots one after another. A growing preference has been observed among robot manufacturers for hybrid human-vehicle designs that combine sophisticated upper bodies with four-wheeled chassis.
Robot startup Neubility released concept footage on the 5th of this month for "Billy," a semi-humanoid robot currently under development. Billy's upper section features a human-like head and hands with five fingers, while its lower section consists of a cargo compartment with four wheels. This configuration is optimized for picking up and transporting objects in industrial processes. The upper body and two arms rotate 360 degrees to grab objects and load them into the rear cargo compartment. Neubility plans to unveil a physical prototype of Billy in the first half of this year and deploy it at manufacturing partners' sites.
Neubility explained that a wheeled chassis is more efficient than legs for industrial applications. On flat surfaces such as factory floors or roads, wheels enable faster and longer-distance travel. "The essence of humanoid robots is not copying the human form, but achieving work range and capabilities that surpass humans," said Kang Ki-hyuk, Vice President of Neubility. "Billy was designed with a vehicle base to ensure superior mobility."
Neubility is not alone in abandoning bipedal locomotion. T-Robotics unveiled its semi-humanoid "TR Works" earlier this month. TR Works attaches an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) beneath a humanoid upper body—resembling a humanoid riding a robot vacuum cleaner. T-Robotics considers this hybrid form the final design and plans to launch the product without developing bipedal legs.
I.L also deployed its wheeled humanoid robot "ILBOT" in an actual automotive parts injection molding process last month for field-based validation and physical AI data collection. ILBOT is designed to swap various end effectors—including five-fingered hands, Omni Pickers, and vacuum grippers—depending on the work environment.
Robot manufacturers are not adhering to conventional four-limbed forms because the primary goal of industrial robot development lies in the arms. The most pressing challenge for robot developers today is enabling robots to perform manipulation tasks—work done by human hands. Robot arms are therefore focused on mimicking human fingers and arms with precise control. By contrast, legs as a means of locomotion can easily be replaced with wheels. Moreover, in environments where industrial robots will primarily operate—such as factories and warehouses—wheels provide sufficient mobility.
There are additional reasons for avoiding legs from a task-suitability perspective. Bipedal walking causes the robot body to move up and down with each step. The larger the robot body, the greater the vibration amplitude during bipedal locomotion. Such movement is unsuitable when transporting vibration-sensitive materials, as it compromises stability.
Experts predict that wheeled humanoid robots will first establish themselves in industry, followed by commercialization of various robot forms based on sector-specific demand. "Mobile manipulators combining robot arms and wheels are currently in the spotlight," said Kim A-young, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University. "However, robots for defense, forestry, and mining—where unpaved terrain is common—cannot solve mobility challenges with wheels alone." She added, "Robot mobility solutions will gradually diversify into multiple forms based on the demands of specific industrial sectors."