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LimX Dynamics’ New Humanoid Robot Demonstrates a Rare Skill: Autonomous Loco-Manipulation
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A New Feat in Humanoid Mobility
Shenzhen-based robotics firm LimX Dynamics recently showcased its new humanoid robot, Oli, performing a task that is simple for humans but remains a significant challenge in robotics: autonomously finding a dropped tennis ball, walking over to it, and bending down to pick it up.
A video released by the company in late September shows the entire sequence performed without teleoperation or the use of motion-capture data. According to LimX, the demonstration highlights "whole-body loco-manipulation with active perception," a term describing the robot's ability to coordinate movement of its entire body while actively sensing and responding to its environment.
Why It's Harder Than It Looks
While many humanoid robots can perform impressive feats of balance or manipulation while stationary, combining fluid locomotion with complex manipulation is a distinct and more difficult challenge. The act of walking up to an object and bending or squatting to retrieve it requires sophisticated control over balance, momentum, and body positioning.
This capability is what could ultimately make humanoid robots useful in dynamic, human-centric environments. As noted by Chris Paxton, an AI researcher at Agility Robotics, this type of demonstration is "very rarely" seen from leading humanoids. He observed that the ability to "shapeshift, adapt and locomote" is a fundamental advantage of the humanoid form factor over wheeled robots.
You very rarely see this kind of loco-manipulation from humanoid robots (think about it -- have you seen Tesla Optimus or Figure F02 ever walk up and bend down to pick something up??). That's because it's way harder than it looks, but of course this is fundamentally what makes a
LimX Dynamics' Oli humanoid robot autonomously collects tennis balls from the floor. ⦿ Oli is 5'5" tall, weighs 55 kg (121 lb), has 31 DoF ⦿ Ships with a modular SDK for Python-based development
Meet Oli
Formerly known as the CL-3, Oli is a full-size humanoid designed to be a platform for developers and researchers in embodied AI.
Key specifications include:
- Height: 1.65 meters (approx. 5' 5")
- Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 43 total, with 31 in the main body and an additional 12 in its dexterous hands. This includes 7-DoF arms, 6-DoF legs, and a 3-DoF waist for added flexibility.
- Perception: The robot is equipped with a self-developed IMU and depth cameras mounted on its head and chest. It also features interfaces for integrating additional sensors.
- Design: Oli has a modular design, allowing components to be replaced or extended. It supports multiple end-effectors, including two-fingered grippers and five-fingered hands.
LimX Dynamics, founded in 2022, is targeting its products at innovators, developers, and system integrators. The company emphasizes its focus on three core areas: hardware design, reinforcement learning-based motion control, and embodied AI training paradigms.
Looking Ahead
The demonstration from LimX Dynamics is another sign of accelerating progress in the humanoid robotics field. While the task was performed in a controlled setting, the successful execution of autonomous loco-manipulation points to growing capabilities. With a reported price point under $30,000 USD, Oli could become an accessible platform for researchers and developers, potentially accelerating advancements in real-world robotic applications. The demonstration sets a new bar for dynamic interaction and positions LimX Dynamics as a notable contender in the competitive landscape.