A headless robot

It is one of the largest industrial implementations

One of the largest tests of this new robotic era is now beginning in the Geno factories, the automaker confirmed that it will implement 350 humanoid robots and its factories over the next 18 months, this is one of the largest industrial implementations of this type already announced.

The robots were developed by the French startup Wandercraft and the model used in the factories is the Calvin-40 and has a curious characteristic, the robots simply do not have a head, instead of trying to look human, the project was designed in an extremely pragmatic way, a compact torso supported on two self-balancing legs, arms with modular hands that can be changed depending on the task, suction claws or industrial tools.

The idea is simple. eliminate everything that is not essential and transform robots into a specialized tool for industry, Calvin is currently already working at the Renault factory in Douai, France. Its initial function is one of the heaviest tasks on the assembly line, transporting tires and automotive components, a physically demanding repetitive activity considered unergonomic for human workers. Thanks to its balance and navigation technology based on computer vision and artificial intelligence, the robot can walk autonomously through the factory and handle heavy loads without losing stability.

Curiously, Wandercraft was not born in the industrial sector.

The company built its reputation developing medical exoskeletons that help people with motor disabilities walk again, that experience with human balance robotics ended up being the perfect basis for creating industrial humanoids. The development of the Calvin-40 occurred in surprising time, the first functional version was created in just 40 days, although based on more than a decade of self-balancing robotic research.

For Renault, the partnership goes beyond automation. It is part of a strategic plan called Food Ready, which aims to reduce production costs by up to 20%. reduce the average number of parts per vehicle by 30%, accelerate the development of new cars, integrate artificial intelligence in various stages of production, in this scenario, humanoids become a key piece of the transformation.