Westwood Robotics Details Agile THEMIS V2 Humanoid with Advanced Manipulation

TL;DR: Westwood Robotics has revealed THEMIS V2, a highly agile humanoid robot designed for demanding work environments. Standing 1.6m tall, it features proprietary BEAR actuators for smooth, compliant movement, 40 degrees of freedom, and AI-assisted control via ROS and LLMs. It can walk, run (up to 10 km/h), and handle delicate tasks with dexterous, touch-sensitive hands. With hot-swappable batteries, stereo vision, and onboard AI processing (up to 200 TOPS), THEMIS V2 is built for real-world complexity — though large-scale deployment remains on the horizon.

Westwood Robotics Details Agile THEMIS V2 Humanoid

California-based Westwood Robotics, a company spun out of UCLA's Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) in 2018, has provided details on its latest humanoid robot, THEMIS V2. Standing 1.6 meters (5'3") tall and weighing 36 kg, the robot aims for human-like agility and dexterity, targeting potential applications in demanding work environments.

Emphasis on Agility and Actuation

A core component of THEMIS V2 is the company's proprietary BEAR (Back-drivable Electromechanical Actuators for Robotics) actuators. Westwood emphasizes that these actuators enable high dynamic performance, torque sensing, and compliance control. This design allows for smoother, more natural motion and inherent safety features, crucial for robots intended to operate near humans or handle delicate objects. Some core actuators are also liquid-cooled to manage heat during intensive tasks.

Themis V2 boasts 40 degrees of freedom (DoF) overall, enabling a wide range of motion. The company highlights its dynamic capabilities, stating the robot can walk at human speeds, run up to 10 km/h (6.2 mph), and potentially perform more complex maneuvers like jumping or parkour-like movements, although demonstrations of the latter are less documented.

Upgraded Manipulation and Perception

The V2 iteration specifically features upgraded arms and hands. Each arm offers 6 DoF, while the three-fingered end-effectors provide 7 DoF, featuring force control and optional touch sensing for adaptive grasping. The wrists are notably flexible, with 180 degrees of pitch and yaw articulation, aiming to replicate human-like dexterity.

For perception, THEMIS V2 integrates multiple sensors. A MicroStrain 3DM-CV7-AHRS inertial measurement unit provides high-frequency orientation and motion tracking. Stereo cameras are mounted on the head unit (which itself has 2 DoF for wider viewing) and the main body, dedicated to tasks like vision processing, manipulation planning, ground mapping, and foot placement.

Substantial onboard processing power supports these functions, with Westwood citing up to 200 TOPS of AI computing capability distributed between head and body vision systems, managed by an AMD Ryzen 7840HS main control unit. Up to 8TB of onboard storage is available for operational data and sensor logs.

Software and Power

Westwood has developed what it calls an "AI Augmented Humanoid OS," designed to allow control and task programming via interfaces including large language models (LLMs), pseudo code, and AI-assisted teleoperation. The system is also built on the widely used Robot Operating System (ROS), facilitating integration and development.

Operation time is stated as up to 3 hours, powered by dual high-capacity lithium-ion battery packs. Critically, these batteries are hot-swappable, allowing for continuous operation without significant downtime. Safety features include an intelligent Battery Management System (BMS) and a wireless emergency stop.

Context and Outlook

Westwood Robotics positions THEMIS V2 for complex tasks in environments like manufacturing or logistics, contrasting with other humanoids like 1X's NEO, which targets domestic assistance. The focus on high-DoF limbs, proprioceptive actuation, and dynamic mobility aligns with efforts across the industry to create robots capable of navigating and interacting physically within human-centric spaces.

While detailed specifications have been released, extensive real-world deployment data is still forthcoming. However, the combination of proprietary actuators, advanced manipulation capabilities, and onboard intelligence marks THEMIS V2 as a notable platform in the rapidly evolving humanoid robotics field.