Nadia Humanoid

IHMC is working in collaboration with Boardwalk Robotics to develop Nadia — a next generation humanoid robot designed to have a high power-to-weight ratio and large range of motion through the use of innovative mechanisms and composite materials. Nadia is also being used to develop autonomous and semi-autonomous behaviors to allow the robot to function in urban environments and structures. The robot’s namesake is famed gymnast Nadia Comăneci, as a nod to the ultimate design goal — achieving human-range-of-motion. The development of Nadia is funded through several sources, including the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Laboratory (ARL), NASA Johnson Space Center, and TARDEC.

The Nadia project is intended to develop highly mobile ground robots that can function in indoor environments where stairs, ladders, and debris would require a robot to have the same range of motion as a human. While this has any number of applications, it can be particularly useful in firefighting, disaster response, and other scenarios that might be dangerous for humans such as Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Given the right set of capabilities, Nadia will be able to function as a human teammate, providing the capability to extend human presence without placing someone in harm’s way.

This work has been funded in part by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), DEVCOM Analysis Center, DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center, and NASA Johnson Space Center.