Recently, I have been in contact with a lot of humanoid robot teams, and a few days ago I was invited to communicate with a humanoid robot entrepreneurial team, mainly discussing some technical issues. Towards the end, the aunt who helped them clean the office suddenly asked a question:"You robots, shoulders, kneecaps, these places, are they as related to people?"

Everyone said yes.The aunt asked again:"I sometimes have joint pain, and sometimes I have a hard time walking and carrying things. If you don't do well with the joints of your robot, will it also delay the robot's work? ”Everyone was obviously stunned, and then they all expressed their affirmation, saying that robot joints are of course important. Auntie muttered while mopping the floor:"That's going to have to be done. Do you invent it yourself, or buy it, anyway, you have to make a good joint. ”The aunt later went to shabu shabu, and several people in the house fell into deep thought. I know why. A few days ago, the team had an open-ended, semi-commercial, half-academic discussion: Should a start-up team that thinks it has R&D strength and potential make its own robot joints and dexterous hands? ‍‍‍‍‍This topic may not be necessary for some academics, investors, and robot entrepreneurs, but it has subtle implications for this team. Most of them come from universities and other industries, and compared with some well-known humanoid robot entrepreneurial teams, they do not have the advantage of channels and resources, but they are commendable in creativity and R&D capabilities. The proposal of such a topic is not only out of the practical need to create products, but also the instinctive continuation of the researcher's thinking. ‍Friends who are familiar with robots know that humanoid robot joints are the parts of the robot's actuators (such as arms and legs) that connect various segments of structure, and they are responsible for simulating the movement of human joints, enabling robots to perform complex actions. As the aunt said, joints are very important to humanoid robots, and they are directly related to the flexibility, stability and functionality of robots.But joints are not the same as joints - since some of my readers are robot enthusiasts who are not so familiar with the specific parts of the robot, here is a little more layman's explanation - in my opinion, the joints of humanoid robots can be divided into two categories, one is rotary and the other is linear.Rotation joints are mainly used in the shoulders, waist, hips, wrists, etc., to provide rotational freedom. It's like the joints in our body that can turn in circles, such as neck twisting and wrist flipping. In humanoid robots, the rotating joints allow the robot to perform rotational movements such as turning, shaking its head, and waving its arms. Imagine that when a robot needs to pick up a book from the table, its arms must first be adjusted to the correct position through the rotating joints of the shoulders and elbows, and then the wrists can be flexibly rotated to grasp accurately. As a result, the rotating joint gives the humanoid robot flexibility and functionality, allowing it to perform a variety of complex movements. These joints typically use servo motors with reducers (e.g., planetary reducers) to achieve high torque output while ensuring precise motion control. The number and arrangement of rotating joints determine the range of actions that the robot is capable of performing.Linear joints are commonly found in wrists, elbows, ankles, hips, knees, etc., and generally provide linear motion through linear actuators (such as electric cylinders or pneumatic/hydraulic cylinders), mainly to help humanoid robots make pushing, pulling, and telescopic actions, for example, when the robot needs to walk, its leg joints will bend and stretch like human knees to achieve striding action; When doing housework, the robot needs to stretch out its arm to pick up distant objects, and at this time, it also relies on the linear joints inside the arm to achieve stretching. In other words, linear joints improve the robot's ability to operate in three-dimensional space, allowing them to perform more human-like daily tasks in the real world.However, the key reason why joints are not only because they can help humanoid robots do their jobs better, but also because the design of joints directly affects the carrying capacity and accuracy of the robot. The combination of a high-torque density motor, a precision reducer, and a torque sensor allows the joint to be precisely controlled while maintaining strength. In long-term operation and repetitive actions, the material selection, structural design and manufacturing process of the joint affect the overall reliability and life of the robot. Strong and durable joints can reduce maintenance costs and increase work efficiency. In addition, modern's more "advanced" joint designs integrate smart sensors and algorithms to help robots perceive the external environment, self-regulate force and speed, and even predict and adapt to different working conditions.Behind all this, some of the components that make up the joint are more interesting than the joint itself, some of which we have covered before: motors, reducers, sensors, control systems...... The corresponding number of well-known Chinese local brands are undertaking the historical responsibility of domestic substitution: Green Harmonic, Zhongda Virtue, Mingzhi Electric, Inovance Technology......I remember that Goldman Sachs has a data that says that in the next 10 to 15 years, the market space for humanoid robots will reach at least $6 billion; In the best case, the humanoid robot market is expected to reach $154 billion by 2035. More industry researchers boldly predict that the market space of humanoid robots converted into RMB will definitely break through the trillion-level mark.The accuracy of these figures can only be verified by time, but it is indeed the general trend that humanoid robots have a vast market space. However, in the discussion of humanoid robots, joints are relatively "left out", despite how important they are. In Chinese Humanoid Robots, Hands Are More Important Than Feet? In the article, we talked about that in a certain period of time, the upper limbs of humanoid robots should be paid more attention to in actual combat than the legs responsible for walking, because the specific work is done by the arms and hands. Joints, then, clearly play a behind-the-scenes heroic role in this. Isn't it true of people? When the joints don't hurt, no one pays attention to them, but more about the obvious parts of the hands, feet, arms, and legs, but when they work, the joints actually make a lot of effort. ‍Looking back at the topic discussed by the entrepreneurial team from this perspective, perhaps they should pay as much attention to the joints of the product as they value their own joints - for example, some parts are "original", and other parts are done through procurement and assembly, etc. In fact, when building a product, where to spend more money and where to spend more time is a comprehensive operational problem, and it is a bit bookish to consider it separately. In fact, on that day, I was also very angry and threw this idea outright. The founder replied with a smile: "A little casual thinking may bring some different sparks of inspiration!" ”‍‍When I think about it, I'm right. ‍‍At this point, I originally wanted to analyze the various situations and pros and cons of self-developed joints, and I thought of the scene of the day, so I just put these things aside for the time being, and said some "casual" feelings. ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍Usually people talk about hard tech startup teams, they talk about the personality of the founders, they talk about the background behind the team, they talk about their technical capabilities, they talk about business models and government relations...... Because a business is an organization whose main purpose is to make a profit, it is natural to talk about this. But in the new historical cycle of changeable and unpredictable providence, has it always been taken for granted that these seemingly natural standards are used to measure the entrepreneurial team, is it comprehensive? A team with more casual genes, a team that allows cleaning aunts to discuss problems together, will it go further in a world full of fog and help more ordinary people? ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍I don't know, but I'm looking forward to using time to get back an answer, and I'm willing to help such an "unusual" team find the unknown.If humanoid robot joints are rooted in the cracks of the trillion-level market, then a large number of teams chasing humanoid robots, cyber objects, are even more so, not to mention that there are countless independent developers who are lonely in studying the parts and complete machines of robots, including humanoid robot joints.Usually, people always pay attention to those stars on the stage, but in fact, there is a force that supports an industry, that is, those nameless ordinary practitioners and entrepreneurial failures. Their efforts poured the foundation of the building, and also reflected the glory of the successful.

They should not be forgotten.

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