Bipedal robots step into the scene

Bipedal robots step into the scene

Jul 10, 2025 | bipedal, bipedal vs humanoid, Humanoids, Industry 4.0, Industry News, robots that walk, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

There’s been a lot of buzz over bipedal robots in recent years.

Companies like Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, Unitree and others have developed powerful algorithms and leading edge hardware to make what was once science fiction a reality. There are now an increasing number of walking (and sometimes talking) upright robots that get around on two legs. These tend to be humanoids, but they are bipedal.

There’s a certain cool factor to seeing robots that walk like people. But the push for bipedal robots is also driven by infrastructure: Factories and other settings where such devices might be deployed have been built for people. So robots that can walk and are roughly human size can work in such spaces without infrastructure changes.

“With the automobile, we had to build roads,” said Jonathan Hurst, Chief Technology Officer of Agility Robotics, in an explanatory video. “With legged robots we’ve already built the infrastructure. Legged robots are going to change the world as much as the automobile did.”

As the saying goes, time will tell. But before we proceed, it’s worth mentioning that bipedal doesn’t necessarily mean humanoid.

“A humanoid typically mimics the human form – so it has a head, torso, arms and legs,” explains Luke Corbeth, InDro’s Head of R&D Sales.

“Bipedal simply means it walks on two legs, but it doesn’t need to look human. So while most humanoids are bipedal, not all bipedal robots are humanoids.”

Below: Agility’s Cassie – a bipedal, non-humanoid robot. Immense R&D went into developing this machine, with many of the lessons learned applied to its current Digit humanoid

THE BIPEDAL-HUMANOID CONNECTION

 

As the video illustrated, bipedal robots aren’t necessarily humanoid (though they can be). But since the non-humanoid versions don’t have arms or manipulators, what are the use-cases?

First off, they’re critical tools in the R&D space. Before any company attempts a full-blown humanoid, it needs to perfect locomotion, balance and gait. That, of course, requires intensive hardware and software development. Many in the research space don’t have the time or resources to build from scratch. By starting with an existing bipedal robot they can rapidly start working on improving algorithms, adding autonomy stacks, machine vision, etc.

“Achieving stable and efficient bipedal locomotion is really the first critical milestone – so it involves doing things like balancing the gait, being very energy efficient and knowing how to recover from various disturbances,” says Corbeth. “But once that’s dialed in, you can build advanced capabilities on top of it, things like manipulation or autonomous navigation. So starting with a bipedal platform can help clients achieve their ultimate goals much sooner”

Not surprisingly, clients for bipedal, non-humanoid platforms are often in the R&D space.

“For anyone specifically researching bipedal locomotion, these devices make sense,” he adds. “It allows them to really focus on research and control, computer vision and AI applications. It’s an accessible platform for labs to really accelerate their work on humanoids.”

In other words, perfecting a bipedal platform is critical in the development of full humanoid robots.

 

RISE OF THE HUMANOIDS

 

We recently took a dive into humanoids here.

To recap briefly, humanoids are on the rise because their form factor allows them to integrate with existing infrastructure. With arms and manipulators/end effectors, they can carry out many of the tasks that humans perform. Bipedal design means they can climb stairs or navigate other obstacles. Even humanoids with wheels or tracks can now carry out these manoeuvres.

“Humanoid robots have become one of the most frontier topics in the field of robot research [1],” states this research paper. “Owing to the human-like structures and strong environmental adaptability [2], biped robots can directly operate the tools and vehicles used by humans, showing wide application prospects in fields such as home service, industrial manufacturing and environmental detection [3]…Ongoing research…shows great potential in human–robot collaboration and autonomous operation [6].”

Many of the tasks bipedal robots will eventually carry out aren’t even fully known yet, as these new commercial products are very much – despite some really impressive machines – in the early stages of adoption and deployment. It’s a safe bet that every company currently selling bipedal or humanoid robots is hard at work in the lab on the next generation. There’s a lot of development in the pipeline.

“Better battery life is kind of on everyone’s wishlist – the runtime of a humanoid or bipedal robot simply isn’t as long as some of the traditional wheeled or track systems. There are also other things like faster and safer locomotion and, of course, dexterous hands,” says Corbeth.

We hit up AI for some thoughts on where these machines are going. It concurs that the full benefits of bipedal robots have yet to be realised.

“While bipedal robots offer unique advantages, it’s worth noting that they are still under development, and their efficiency and practicality in certain applications are still being evaluated. For example, wheeled robots might be more energy-efficient for certain tasks on flat surfaces. However, for navigating complex, unstructured environments and interacting with human-scale tools and spaces, bipedal robots offer a promising solution.”

In addition to humanoids, InDro now offers a strictly bipedal, non-humanoid platform primarily for R&D. As with most platforms, our engineers are currently working on expanding its capabilities to enable it more fully for R&D and industrial clients. We will soon be integrating InDro Cortex, a brain-box that enables everything from remote teleoperation and sensor integration to fully autonomous and/or easily programmable missions.

“We’re looking to add our Cortex solution – the hardware and the software and the autonomy – to our humanoids and bipedal robots,” says Corbeth. “We see opportunities to integrate advanced autonomy, teleoperation and perception pipelines into this equipment…making them a turnkey solution for advanced humanoid development and real-world testing.”

Below: A great video explanation of the bipedal advantage, followed by the bipedal robot InDro now has available

Multi Modal Biped Robot

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Bipedal robots are the precursor to full-blown humanoids. Not only does the humanoid form factor work well in existing infrastructure, they’re seen by many as the ideal collaborative robots, or co-bots. People seem more at ease with something that looks vaguely human (with the notable exception of Terminator’s T800).

“The human form factor is just intuitive for people to interact with – and the similar size helps them use human tools and really fit in well in workspaces,” says Corbeth. “Some may argue as well they also kind of build trust, which is crucial for collaborative robots operating around or with people.”

And for those in the R&D space looking for a bipedal-only platform, we’ve got you covered.

We look forward to sharing more about our bipedal and humanoid robots in future, particularly once we’ve supercharged them with InDro Cortex. If you’re curious to learn more, feel free to contact Luke Corbeth.

Will Robots Replace Humans at Scale?

Will Robots Replace Humans at Scale?

Jul 7, 2025 | InDro News, Industry 4.0, Industry News, Robots, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

The robots are coming. And, in many places, they’re already here.

Robotic automation has long been integral to manufacturing at scale. Think automobile factories, for example. Robotic arms weld, paint, lift heavy parts – all jobs that at one point in the past were done by humans. We’re all familiar with videos of this process.

But in recent years, we’ve seen something of an inflection point in robotics. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are increasingly common, shuttling goods and lifting heavy loads. There are robots that can load and unload trucks, using special grippers or end effectors. Delivery robots are ubiquitous in some parts of the world, with China leading the pack. And then there’s drones, with companies like Zipline seemingly perfecting the art of small deliveries and shifting from solely medical deliveries to convenience items. Automated devices now unload and place containers from ships – an innovation that led to labour disruptions as longshoremen in the US protested that these machines jeopardise their livelihoods,

The list goes on. And, with the growth now of humanoid robots – which require no infrastructure changes and can carry out many tasks done by humans – the inevitable question arises: Will robots someday replace humans at scale?

It’s a big question. And, for some, kind of a scary one. So we thought we’d explore some thoughts, and predictions, with someone thoroughly in the know: InDro’s Director of Engineering, Arron Griffiths (below).

A GOOD SOURCE

 

We tapped Arron not only because he’s our Director of Engineering, but because he has lived and breathed technology his entire life. Born in Birmingham, he comes from a line of engineers and technologists that goes way back. In fact, because of his father’s profession his family was the first in his neighbourhood to have the internet, and Arron grew up with computers.

“My father is an internet engineer and my grandfather was a welder by trade, and then his father was an engineer and we think his father was an engineer,” says Griffiths. “There’s a lineage on my dad’s side of engineers and skilled trades we believe going all the way back to being tinkerers or something.”

So it’s not surprising that an engineer who has spent decades in robotics spends a lot of time thinking about robots. Not just the mechanics and software – but about their implications. So we asked him: Will robots replace humans at scale?

“It is basically a fear of everyone around robotics, particularly AI as well,” he says. “The answer is yes and no – and let me elaborate a little bit.”

He does so, with a long-term perspective.

“Every Industrial Revolution has caused disruption in some form or another and displaced humans from classical (tasks) in agriculture or industrial manufacturing…so there is definitely going to be a painful period where robotics is adopted, and jobs that were once held by humans get sort of outpaced.”

The driving force here, as with previous Industrial Revolutions, is economics. If a robot can efficiently carry out tasks at a lower overall cost than humans, the case is there for them to be adopted.

“But the trick is to ensure that the economy is growing at the same time. And if the economy is growing, there will always be the need for more people.”

And if the economy doesn’t grow?

“That’s the real scary part. If the economy doesn’t grow with the scale of robotics adoption, then there would be significant disruption, maybe even humans resisting robotics. But if everything grows at a good rate, I think robotic adoption will take maybe 10 years, but there will be a rough patch.”

 

WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

 

Remember when Automated Teller Machines were introduced at scale back in the 1970s? There was consternation that tellers would become obsolete. That didn’t happen. Yes, they were convenient for a fast withdrawal or deposit, but ATMs can’t answer questions, can’t assist people with the many reasons they go to a bank. And so yes, every bank has one of those machines. But they also still have tellers.

The same concerns popped up when automated checkouts started appearing at retail outlets. Would sales staff and checkout people disappear? They haven’t (though it’s possible some companies have downsized their staff). But again, automation did not simply replace humans.

A big part of the reason is because human interaction is at the very core of many businesses and our daily lives – and robots are not even close to reaching the stage of handling those complex interactions. Human beings possess qualities that robots do not, at least not yet. Things like creativity, emotional intelligence, the ability to adapt to unforeseen situations.

“Humans are still always going to be needed because we’re never going to be able to get robots in the near term to think, feel, imagine, communicate quite like a human with other humans directly,” says Griffiths. “So yeah, I think humans definitely have a one up and will have that advantage for the foreseeable decade or so.”

The other thing Griffiths points out is that robotics are definitely more prevalent in more technologically developed parts of the word – and there are huge swaths of the planet where they are relatively rare and that adoption will take a very long time.

“In Western industry, we’ll definitely see a lot more automation. But in emerging markets like Africa, India, (they’re) still going to rely on humans. So it depends on where you are in the world, I think.”

The caveat? It used to always be said that robots are perfect for jobs that are dirty, dull and dangerous. That’s still true. But with advances in AI and Large Language Models (as well as the development of humanoids and other collaborative robots, or co-bots intended to work alongside humans) we are potentially at the early stages of a shift. Robots will, in future, take on more tasks that aren’t simply one of the three Ds.

Below: Agility’s Digit, showing off its ability to pick up ingredients for a pasta dinner. Yes, it’s slow. But you can be confident it will get faster, Still, we’re willing to bet most people will prefer to do their own shopping. A robot can’t make the split-decisions a human is likely to make when selecting one product over another, for example. 

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We are definitely in changing times. Advances in robotics will continue – and most of the current demand is indeed for robots that can carry out those dirty, dull and dangerous jobs. But, over time, we’ll see more of them carrying out other tasks and developing greater problem solving skills – including (with AI) the ability to communicate more easily with humans.

But are we on the cusp of an era where there will be mass displacement of humans?

“There will be some disruption in the future for sure,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “But, as we’ve seen with previous Industrial Revolutions and the adoption of ATMs etc, the sky didn’t fall. There will also be more jobs created in robotics, AI, and other related fields we can’t even foresee yet. Will robots continue to expand in fields where they can help humans and productivity? Absolutely. But human beings are resilient, creative and adaptable. And – though I’m obviously a fan of what robots can do – there will always be a human advantage. Yes, the robots are coming. But they’re not going to rule the world.”

InDro, by the way, focuses on custom R&D and robots for clients and our own inspection and scanning products that cater to the dirty, dull and dangerous. We’re not out to replace your job – only to enhance productivity where it’s a fit.

Kiwibot: A Level 4 Autonomy robotic solution for delivery, advertising – and more

Kiwibot: A Level 4 Autonomy robotic solution for delivery, advertising – and more

Jun 16, 2025 | Industry News, RealLife Robotics, Robotics, Robots, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

There’s been a quiet robotics revolution underway.

At some 20 campuses across the US – and elsewhere globally – small robots built by Kiwibot have been busy. Day and night, they carry out autonomous food deliveries for hungry students. Sometimes, those same robots are branded with advertising for special events and carry a logo or QR code rather than food.

“Clients are willing to pay to have the bots branded and have them appear at specific events,” explains Maria Valdez, a Business Developer with the company. “For example, for Amazon Web Services (AWS), we were in almost five different locations.”

With between 400 and 500 robots currently deployed, Kiwibot has made significant and impressive inroads toward a future where robotic delivery is likely to become ubiquitous. And the company has big plans going forward.

Below: A video showing a university Kiwibot deployment. The company has grown significantly during the three years since this was produced



THE BUSINESS CASE

 

It’s pretty easy to see the appeal for advertising. Robots aren’t yet common, so they catch people’s attention. The Kiwibot robots have also been designed to appear friendly or ‘cute’ to humans, so there’s immediate interest when one rolls up. Ad campaigns also tend to be brief and don’t require a long-term financial commitment.

When it comes to delivery, that’s a different scenario. While robots may well have a cool factor, businesses always take a hard look at the bottom line. So Kiwibot needs to deliver not only food – but also a return on investment. Here, the company says it has consistently demonstrated significant savings when compared with using human couriers.

That’s proven to be enough incentive for Kiwibots to be deployed on more than 20 university campuses so far in the US, with more to come. Kiwibot has partnered with a global food services company on these campuses.

“The students use an app and order food directly from campus restaurants run by this company – or from any other restaurants that partner with this food services firm,” explains Business Developer Valdez. “One of our technicians takes the food and loads the bot. The bot then navigates autonomously from Point A to multiple points to deliver the packages.”

In addition to the cost savings, data shows Kiwibot delivery is faster than having a human carry out the task – meaning customers receive their food as quickly as possible.

 

EXPANSION

.

Though Kiwibot has an impressive track record with US university campuses, it also has broader ambitions. The company is expanding and pursuing other global partnerships. 

One such partnership is in Canada with Real Life Robotics, where together they are running an urban pilot program for food delivery with Skip. In this pilot, robots are roaming the streets of Markham, Ontario (and generating a lot of buzz). 

Kiwibot has also formed a strategic alignments with a major warehouse automation and last-mile delivery firm, where it is deploying its larger capacity Cargobot (designed for moving cargo) on a 24/7 basis. In addition, Kiwibot has deployments in multiple locations in the tech-heavy Middle East.

But the biggest plans have yet to be fully unveiled. Kiwibot is transitioning to Robot.com – with plans for an official launch this summer. Full details are being kept under wraps at the moment, but the home splash page looks pretty intriguing.

Kiwibot has also been promoting a leasing model, where you can rent a robot – in the case of advertising – for as little as two hours. The company leases three different bots: Kiwibot Leap (for food and small package delivery), Kiwibot for Advertising (where branding is applied), and the company’s Cargobot for warehouses and factories.

All robots function autonomously, though a human being is always monitoring their progress and can take over if necessary at places like crowded crosswalks. What’s more, the Kiwibot Leap is capable of scanning walkways for anomalies while it carries out deliveries. If it spots something amiss, like a large crack or pothole etc., it can flag the location and capture an image of the anomaly. That data can then be shared with the university (or municipality) so that maintenance can rectify the problem.

Below: Fresh food, freshly delivered, via Kiwibot





Kiwibot

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re impressed with Kiwibot. The company has been executing on its strategic vision and appears to have a solid growth trajectory. Its platforms are technologically solid with Level 4 autonomy and have been designed to blend into our human world.

“Getting robots from the R&D stage into real-world applications – particularly applications in the public space – isn’t easy,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Getting more than 400 robots out and running on a daily basis is no small task, and Kiwibot is poised to be a major contender – if not a leader – in the robotic delivery and advertising space. We are thrilled to see the partnership with Real Life Robotics and hope to see that expand in future.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on Kiwibot, and will update when Robots.com is officially launched.

 

InDro on the road: Four major conferences in a month

InDro on the road: Four major conferences in a month

Jun 5, 2025 | Events, InDro Cortex, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We’ve been busy.

Our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth, has been on the road – hitting up four conferences in three countries in less than a month. During that time, he’s met with potential clients, seen cutting-edge research, and even officially launched the new InDro Cortex.

It’s always a challenge, selecting which conferences to attend. But we try to be strategic, attending those which combine a chance to meet with new and existing clients while learning as much about new trends and research as possible.

For Corbeth, who has just returned from a show in the UK, it’s all about opportunities.

“Some of these conferences are truly the place to meet with people who are at the forefront of R&D and new use-case scenarios,” says Corbeth. “These people are often leveraging either our technology or tech from other manufacturers and integrators. These events are a great way to stay on top of things.”

Below: Luke at the big AUTOMATE 2025 show in Detroit

Luke Corbeth Automate

AUTOMATE 2025

 

This was the first stop on our tour.

In early May, Corbeth headed to the AUTOMATE 2025 show in Detroit – one of the premiere annual automation events. We were guests at the big Ericsson booth, where the company was highlighting its Ericsson 5G Private network, or EP5G. Large companies with smart factories and high degrees of automation are increasingly opting for private 5G networks for their security, high bandwidth and low-latency. Literally thousands of smart or embedded devices can share data in real-time on a private 5G network.

To show off the potential of private 5G, companies like Ericsson (which is the world’s largest provider of cellular network hardware) need to showcase tangible use-cases. And so Corbeth was there with Captis, a cycle-counting and precision scanning autonomous robot built for warehouse environments. InDro Robotics is the incubator of Cypher Robotics and helped do the R&D work on Captis. 

“We make private 5G sexy,” laughs Corbeth. “Captis is a prime example of a technology that effectively leverages private 5G networks.”

 

ICRA

 

Next, it was off to Atlanta for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, or ICRA. Once again, there was plenty of automation and robotics on display, but the real emphasis at ICRA is on research. Posters and papers are a big part of the event, which draws some of the leading global researchers and thought leaders.

“ICRA is more of a forward-looking conference when compared with Automate,” explains Corbeth. “You’re really getting a peek at technologies, algorithms and use-cases that are coming down the pipeline.”

ICRA attracts a *lot* of researchers from the academic world, and a significant portion of InDro’s clients are from universities. At this event, InDro displayed its new Cortex – an exceedingly powerful module for robot integration and teleoperation – for the first time in public.

“Cortex is a platform- and sensor-agnostic brain box,” he says. “It can be attached to any platform – wheeled, tracked, quadruped, humanoid or drone. Because it’s plug and play, anyone who already has some combination of platforms and sensors can quickly build a robot around it.”

InDro also displayed its ROS2-based drone, developed by InDro for R&D use-cases. You’ll be hearing more about that in the future.

 

IDEaS

 

From Atlanta, it was back to Ottawa for the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) event. Put on by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Air Force, there was definitely some emphasis on military applications such as Counter-UAS technology. InDro is prioritised on positive use-case scenarios, such as logistics, mapping, Search and Rescue, cargo delivery etc.

“We have really maintained our focus on drones and robots for good,” says Corbeth.

 

UK

 

And last, but not least, Luke jet-setted to the UK for the big Smart Manufacturing Expo in Birmingham. It could be described as the UK’s equivalent of Automate, with the focus on automation and robotics in the manufacturing sector. At the June 4-5 event, Corbeth was representing the Captis cycle-counting solution.

“Really, we were exploring whether potential clients in the UK are experiencing some of the same problems with cycle counting that existing clients in Canada, New Zealand and the UAE have. There was a tremendous amount of interest in Captis.”

Below: Another show, another booth for Luke Corbeth. Second photo shows Luke with senior Ericsson staff Jan Diekmann, Alan Minney and John Tomik. InDro shared the stage with Ericsson in Birmingham to discuss the future of smart factories and private 5G networks

Luke Corbeth
Luke Birmingham Ericsson Jan Diekmann, Alan Minney and John Tomik

INDRO’S TAKE

 

As mentioned, we choose conferences carefully in order to maximise our spend, exposure, and client outreach. Corbeth was able to meet with many existing clients and develop new relationships that could lead to strategic partnerships and/or sales. Perhaps most importantly, he was able to showcase Cortex, our new ROS2 R&D drone, as well as promote the Captis cycle-counting/precision scan solution.

“It’s been a very busy month for Luke and InDro Robotics,” observes InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We are very excited about both Cortex and our R&D drone and are on a trajectory to manufacture these at scale later this year. We’re pleased to see the level of interest in these products – and have no doubt the investment we’ve made in attending these events will pay off.”

Interested in learning more about either of those products? You can get in touch with Luke (who may still be jet-lagged) right here.

InDro Forge: A one-stop shop for prototype development and limited production runs

InDro Forge: A one-stop shop for prototype development and limited production runs

Jun 4, 2025 | InDro Forge, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

It’s been some time since we’ve written about InDro Forge. That’s our custom prototype fabrication and limited production run facility in Ottawa.

We’ve been running the facility since September of 2023 – and have grown its capacity significantly since then. We’ve added new staff, capital expenditures, and have fine-tuned a workflow to ensure speed without sacrificing quality control.

“InDro Forge is the hardware hub of InDro Robotics,” explains Forge Production Engineer Joel Koscielski. “So it’s the space where we design, develop, prototype and produce the hardware that goes into InDro products as well as our client’s products.”

And, with designers and engineers and fabrication specialists, Forge ensures clients leave with a polished, finished product.

Below: The water jet table – one of many additive and subtractive tools at InDro Forge

ADDITIVE, SUBTRACTIVE TOOLS

 

You can think of InDro Forge as a small-scale factory. And it’s loaded with the tools required for that job, ranging from a state-of-the-art CNC machine and water jet table through to a variety of 3D printing devices – including the BigRep ONE, capable of printing objects up to one cubic meter in size with a variety of materials.

All of these tools, broadly, belong to one of two categories: Additive or subtractive.

“Subtractive tooling, as it implies, is about taking away material,” explains Koscielski. “If you think about something like a beautiful stone carving, or you a wood carving that’s been carved with a chainsaw to make a beautiful piece of art – those are subtractive processes.”

And additive?

“That’s really about working with a liquid material or powder, adding layer by layer, to build in what’s commonly known as 3D printing. We have about six different types of printers here that work with multiple materials depending on the accuracy we need on the surface finish.”

 

IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE

 

InDro Forge has a cross-disciplinary team, ensuring complementary skillsets. We have experienced robotics engineers, designers, electronics specialists and more to ensure our client’s plans evolve into a functioning, real-world product. We’re proud of the final fit and finish of everything that goes out the door.

We’re also cognisant that, on rare occasions, unusual requirements can pop up that stretch even our considerable expertise and fabrication resources. There, InDro Forge has access to the InDro Robotics engineering team at Area X.O, as well as contacts with external specialists in virtually every related sector.

“We have a well-filled Rolodex – though that’s a bit of a dated term – of people we can reach out to when our expert isn’t enough,” says Koscielski. “We know who to ask to be able to make sure that we can find the best solution for the problem we’re facing.”

Below: In addition to products for clients, InDro’s robots like Sentinel now go through final integration and assembly at InDro Forge

 
Industrial Inspection Robot

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We launched InDro Forge in September of 2023 with a small but strong core staff. Since then, we’ve expanded that team significantly with strategic hires aimed at maximising not only Forge’s overall expertise – but its capacity for handling multiple projects, including limited production runs.

“InDro Forge has truly been the perfect match for our Area X.O operations – as well as new clients,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “With the ability to leverage the expertise of our broader engineering R&D team, Forge has an immense amount of expertise at its fingertips.”

Interested in learning more? Contact InDro Forge here.