The Chinese-made Walker S2 humanoid robot is the world’s first industrial robot that can replace its own battery, allowing it to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Unveiled earlier this month by Chinese robotics company UB Tech Robotics, the Walker S2 has been attracting a lot of attention because of its unique ability to replace its own batteries to ensure it never runs out of power. Conventional robots need to be plugged in or have their batteries replaced, which means they have to stop working for a certain period of time, but the Walker S2 is equipped with a dual battery system that allows it to replace each battery itself, one at a time, to ensure that it essentially never runs out of power. This simple yet ingenious feature is said to be a first among bipedal robots.

In a recent video shared by UB Tech Robotics, the Walker S2 showcases its battery swapping ability. When it detects that its batteries are running low on power, the robot automatically heads to a battery exchange station where it bends its arms and uses its palms to pull out one of the batteries at the back and store it on the top shelf, before replacing it with a fully-charged one and getting back to work.

The battery replacement process is simple and effective, takes only a few minutes to complete, and virtually ensures that the robot can work continuously, for as long as it has replacement batteries available. The system is said to have been inspired by the swappable batteries of Chinese electric cars, which use modular batteries that can be swapped to save time.

 

The Walker S2, the first humanoid robot to be equipped with self-swappable batteries, is expected to be used in industrial facilities and on production lines, where it completely eliminates the need for manpower. Although UB Tech Robotics has yet to reveal the technical specifications of the S2, expectations are high for the upcoming production version of the humanoid robot.