Summary:

 

Alex is a commercial humanoid robot developed by Boardwalk Robotics, designed to perform real industrial work in manufacturing, logistics, food processing, and maintenance.  

 

Unlike most humanoids, Alex is a legless upper‑torso humanoid mounted on a stable base, allowing Boardwalk to prioritize manipulation strength, speed, safety, and cost‑efficiency.  

 

Alex is the commercial evolution of IHMC’s long‑running humanoid research lineage. 

 

Editorial:

 

Alex represents a pragmatic shift in humanoid design.  

Instead of chasing full bipedal locomotion, Boardwalk Robotics focuses on high‑value manipulation tasks — lifting, sorting, cleaning, handling tools, and performing repetitive industrial motions.

 

This approach gives Alex several advantages:

 

- lower cost  

- higher reliability  

- greater safety  

- faster deployment  

- industrial‑grade strength and speed

 

Alex’s high‑speed joints (up to 9 rad/s) and 300‑degree wrist rotation make it unusually capable for dexterous, repetitive, or precision tasks. 

 

Boardwalk Robotics builds Alex entirely in‑house, leveraging years of IHMC humanoid research. 

 

Specifications:

 

Dimensions & Build

- Type: Humanoid upper‑torso robot (no legs)  

- Design Intent: Industrial‑grade manipulation, high‑speed arm motion, safe human‑robot collaboration  

- Origin: Boardwalk Robotics (commercial spin‑out of IHMC research)  

 

Note: Boardwalk has not published height, width, or weight.

 

Mobility

- Base: Fixed or mobile base (varies by deployment)  

- Locomotion: No legs — upper‑body humanoid only  

- Balance: Stable base with whole‑body control for manipulation tasks  

 

Manipulation

- Degrees of Freedom: 19 DOF  

- Payload: 10 kg  

- Joint Speed: Up to 9 rad/s  

- Wrist Rotation: 300°  

- Actuation: High‑speed custom actuators  

- Design Focus:  

  - Fast, precise manipulation  

  - Tool use  

  - Repetitive industrial tasks  

 

Perception & Sensors

Boardwalk has only confirmed the presence of:

- Vision sensors (unspecified)  

- Force/torque sensing for manipulation  

- Environmental awareness for safe operation  

 

Note: No detailed sensor list has been published.

 

Compute & AI

- Software: Closed‑source proprietary control stack  

- Capabilities:  

  - Real‑time control  

  - Sensor fusion  

  - Safe human‑robot interaction  

- Integration: Designed for industrial pilot programs and scalable deployment  

 

Note: No CPU/GPU/TOPS details have been released.

 

Connectivity

- Industrial integration: Supported (details not published)  

- Cloud: Not specified  

- Local control: Not specified  

 

Applications

- Manufacturing  

- Logistics  

- Maintenance  

- High‑speed repetitive tasks  

- Tool‑based operations  

 

Pricing

Boardwalk Robotics has not published pricing.

 

Boardwalk Robotics has NOT published the following engineering‑grade specifications:

 

Dimensions

- Height  

- Width  

- Weight  

 

Mobility

- Base type options  

- Speed of mobile base  

- Turning radius  

 

Manipulation

- Joint torque  

- Joint speed per joint  

- Grip force  

- End‑effector options  

- DOF breakdown per limb  

 

Sensors

- Camera resolution  

- Depth sensor type  

- Field of view  

- Microphone array  

- IMU specs  

- Tactile sensing  

 

Compute

- Processor type  

- GPU / accelerator  

- TOPS  

- SDK / API availability  

- Supported programming languages  

 

Battery & Power

- Power draw  

- Voltage  

- Runtime  

- Charging  

 

Environmental Ratings

- Operating temperature  

- IP rating  

- Industrial safety certifications  

 

Image: @b.c.begley6007

 

Company Source:

 

https://youtu.be/UEkdgDvHMPk?si=bH-uXvcPtgM1xCoH

 

Key News & Coverage:

 

https://youtu.be/gCfUM9Tv7GM?si=puVFhiT-x9Uhlzdn