Richtech Dex demonstrates the potential of wheeled mobile manipulators

The Dex robot has a telescoping neck and wheeled AMR base. Source: Richtech Robotics

Last October, the company announced its newest system, Dex, a mobile two-armed robot on wheels. To explain the design decision of a wheeled humanoid-like robot vs. a bipedal legged solution, Richtech’s president said it all came down to battery life.

“When designing Dex, our first mobile humanoid robot, Richtech deliberately chose wheels over legs for practical industrial deployment,” said Casella. Other robot startups are pursuing alternative paths. Afterall, not every task requires bipedal legs, unless you work in very tight spaces like shipyards and my New York City apartment.

This thinking has given way to a new wave of streamlined, humanoid-like robots, or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with arms. There are many examples of these types of products; my favorites include Moxi from Diligent Robotics, Eve from 1X Technologies, and KR1 from Kinisi Robotics. Home

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