IHMC open house unveils the robotics team’s new advanced humanoid Alex

At this year’s IHMC open house on April 10, the public will have its first opportunity to meet Alex, the institute’s new advanced humanoid robot.

“We are so excited to show off Alex,” said Senior Research Scientist Robert Griffin, who leads HMC’s robotics group. “Alex has been developed to step outside of the lab and perform in real-world environments. It’s a big step for us. The maneuverability, autonomy and search skills of Alex will allow it to serve as a human avatar for first responders in emergency situations.” 

Alex is built upon the cutting–edge research that IHMC did with Nadia, a humanoid that entertained last year’s open-house visitors by playing ping pong with members of the robotics staff. Although Alex features next-generation technology and capabilities, it lacks one very important thing: a face.

“At the open house, children are invited to put on their engineer–designer hats and imagine what Alex’s face would look like,” said Robotics Lab Coordinator Claudia Artzer. “The most creative ideas will be chosen, celebrated by the Robotics team, and brought to life as a 3D replica. We’re hoping that children will be able to inspire us come up with creative concepts.”

In addition to being able to watch demonstrations of Alex, visitors will have opportunities to interact with dozens of IHMC scientists and engineers to learn about their research into drones, virtual reality, human performance, exoskeletons, artificial intelligence and other technologies.

Visitors also will be able to learn about the new National Center for Collaborative Autonomy, an initiative focused on optimizing the abilities and potential of autonomous systems like unmanned aerial vehicles, self-driving cars and space probes. Recent events around the world have underscored that autonomous systems like drones are fundamentally changing the nature of military conflicts.

The April 10 open house will be held from 4 to 7 with the last tour beginning at 6:30 at the IHMC campus, 40 South Alcaniz.  The event is part of national robotics week, which was established by Congress in 2010 to bring together students, teachers and other interested parties who share a passion for robotics and technology.