LimX Dynamics Powers Up 18 Robots Without a Human in Sight, is World’s First Scalable Autonomous Deployment

A room gradually filled with a faint hum as silverish figures begin to stir from their immobile position. LimX Dynamics, the Shenzhen-based company that is developing those full-size humanoid robots, this week presented an excellent video of its Oli model performing what they describe the world’s first completely practical autonomous deployment. Whether or not this makes it the world’s first, 18 units emerged from their shipment boxes, got up on their own, walked in formation, and finished with a little coordinated routine that gives you a good idea of what manufacturing floors with robot teams would be like.

Initially, the robots are simply placed into normal-looking containers. The lids raise automatically (or perhaps they were left open when someone unboxed them). Each Oli then begins to work on itself, reaching full height and taking its first stride on two legs. In the cramped space they had to work in, they manage not to clash and then march out in perfect formation. It’s not the first time we’ve seen Olis move around; previous demos have shown single Olis scrambling up rubble or balancing on one leg, all thanks to the robot’s own motion reinforcement learning. The magic happens here, however, since the batch of Olis is all coordinated by software based on LimX’s newest COSA system, a single system for making decisions, planning ahead, and directing the robot’s body.

Oli stands 165 cm tall and has 31 joints throughout its frame, which include the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. The head and middle of the torso each feature stereo cameras that collect visual data and are linked to an extremely rapid inertial unit that maintains balance at 1000 Hz or higher. We’ve already seen Olis recover from a slip or pick up objects on the floor, but this time, with more of them on the go, they need to know where each other are so they don’t get in each other’s way, and, most importantly, they need to be able to take priority tasks, such as fetching something before the other bot. They can perform all of this without someone having to issue a command or draw up a pre-programmed path.

Then comes the fun part, when all of the robots start moving together. They line up shoulder to shoulder, march ahead, and then turn to do some strange but somehow charming dance routine. Their arms don’t swing around much, and they’re focused on maintaining their balance, but it’s a wonderful bit of choreography nonetheless. LimX believes that this demonstrates that in the real world, you can simply drop a bunch of bots off at a factory and let them manage the setup themselves, just like magic.

LimX, along with firms like XPENG and Unitree, has been at the forefront of China’s robotics efforts. All of these companies are developing robots with large production in mind, rather than niche toys. Oli, for example, has a modular design that allows you to swap out different components for different tasks, such as carrying up boxes or climbing stairs. The basic model costs roughly $22,000, making it a reasonable option – though, as always, the final price depends on the add-ons you want. Other companies, including as Tesla and Figure, are developing humanoid robots, although they tend to focus on more individual tasks, such as folding shirts or preparing coffee. LimX, on the other hand, is taking a ‘team robot’ approach, in which a dozen of them working together are less affected by delays than a single bot.