Pudu Robotics launches PUDU D9 humanoid robot

Pudu Technology Inc. last week unveiled its first full-sized bipedal humanoid robot, the PUDU D9. The Shenzhen, China-based company said it is aiming for “commercially viable embodied intelligence” with the PUDU D9, which will soon be available for pre-sale through its official website.

“Customer centricity has always been at the core of PUDU’s values. Moving forward, we will continue to explore technology driven by customer needs and pain points,” stated Felix Zhang, founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics. “Our extensive experience in the commercial service sector will help accelerate the maturity of semi-humanoid and humanoid robots, allowing more people to enjoy the convenience of robotic services.”

Pudu Robotics has focused on research and development, manufacturing, and sales of service robots. The company claimed that it holds more than 1,000 authorized patents worldwide, encompassing a wide range of core technologies.

Pudu added that its robots have been widely adopted in various industries, including dining, retail, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment, education, and manufacturing. The company said it has shipped more than 80,000 units to markets in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide.

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PUDU D9 humanoid builds on recent releases

Developed by the Pudu X-Lab, the PUDU D9 follows the releases of the semi-humanoid robot PUDU D7 and the dexterous hand PUDU DH11, marking the third product from the team this year.

Standing at 170 cm (66.9 in.) tall and weighing 65 kg (143.3 lb.), the PUDU D9 features 42 degrees of freedom across its joints, with a maximum joint torque of 352 Nm. It is equipped with the previously released PUDU DH11, enabling human-like bipedal walking and dual-hand operational capabilities.

In the demonstration video, PUDU D9 showcased its mobility, including upright walking, obstacle navigation, slope climbing, and performing ground cleaning tasks using the PUDU SH1.

Company touts philosophy, capabilities

“The PUDU D9 is designed with a human-centric philosophy, embodying the principle of ‘Born to Serve,'” said Pudu Robotics. The anthropomorphic robot is designed to closely mirror human capabilities while striving to provide practical assistance across a diverse range of applications.

The company cited the following capabilities:

• Dynamic mobility: The PUDU D9’s bipedal structure enables it to walk at speeds comparable to that of adults, reaching up to 2 m/s (4.4 mph) on flat surfaces. It can navigate stairs, slopes, and other challenging urban terrain, said Pudu Robotics. Using advanced algorithms, the robot achieves “lightweight” gait control, minimizing noise during operation in human environments, the company asserted. Its visual semantic navigation system is equipped with high-accuracy sensors that allow for real-time 3D mapping, providing the D9 with a comprehensive understanding of its surroundings. This capability ensures accurate self-positioning and autonomous route planning, said Pudu.
• Precision manipulation: Equipped with two robot arms with seven degrees of freedom (DoF) each, the PUDU D9 boasts a payload capacity exceeding 20 kg (44 lb.). When paired with the PUDU DH11 dexterous hand, it can execute delicate tasks across a wide range of applications, said Pudu. Thanks to years of R&D and proprietary reinforcement-learning algorithms, the PUDU D9 can rapidly learn from extensive datasets, “executing end-to-end task planning to meet various operational demands,” said the company.
• Natural interaction: The PUDU D9 features a range of high-precision visual, tactile, force, and auditory sensors that empower it to collect multimodal information from its environment. Through a processing framework that integrates advanced AI models, Pudu said the D9 “achieves human-level multimodal natural interactions, significantly enhancing the quality and responsiveness of the services it provides.”

Pudu Robotics said the PUDU D9 joins its comprehensive product lineup, which includes specialized, semi-humanoid, and humanoid robots. In October, the company announced its upgraded FlashBot indoor delivery robot. Last month, Pudu exhibited its AI robotic cleaning systems at ISSA Show North America.

The PUDU D9 robot joins a growing list of humanoids, including but not limited to 1X Technologies‘ NEO, Agility Robotics‘ Digit, Apptronik‘s Apollo, Boston Dynamics‘ Atlas, Figure AI‘s Figure 02, Fourier‘s GR-2, Tesla‘s Optimus, and Unitree Robotics‘ G1.