HRP-4
HRP-4 is a life-size bipedal humanoid robot jointly developed by AIST and Kawada Industries, unveiled in September 2010 and commercially available from January 2011. Designed as a research-and-development platform for human-cooperative tasks, it features low-output actuators and image recognition capabilities at approximately 30% lower cost than its predecessor HRP-2.
Overview and Use Cases
HRP-4 is a bipedal humanoid robot developed jointly by Japan's AIST (software and motion control) and Kawada Industries (hardware). The robot was unveiled in September 2010 and made commercially available beginning January 2011 to universities and research institutions worldwide. It serves as a research-and-development platform intended for human-cooperative tasks and has been subject to ongoing academic partnerships and operational trials as of 2025.
Key Capabilities
- Low-output actuators (under 80W)
- Image recognition for jig-less setup and task adaptation
- Bipedal locomotion with compact 2-DOF ankle joint design
- Platform designed for interaction with human operators and shared work environments
Specifications
- Form Factor: Life-size bipedal humanoid configuration
- Actuator Power: Less than 80W output
- Ankle Joint: Compact 2-DOF (degrees of freedom) design
- Price Point: Approximately 30% below HRP-2 (predecessor model)
Manufacturer
HRP-4 is manufactured by Kawada Robotics, a subsidiary of Kawada Technologies headquartered in Tokyo. The robot represents part of the HRP (Humanoid Robotics Project) series, which remains under active development as of 2025. The collaborative development model between AIST and Kawada Industries has continued across multiple generations of the HRP platform.
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