HECTOR
HECTOR is a small open source humanoid developed by Quan Nguyen's Dynamic Robotics and Control Laboratory at the University of Southern California for research on model predictive control and learning based locomotion. Its simulation environment and designs are public. It is one of several university platforms built to make humanoid control research reproducible.
We have not sat down with this one. The score below is computed from the data we hold, and the facts on this page are sourced. It is not on sale, so there is nothing to recommend.
How the score is built
Capability is what the machine physically does. Value compares it with others at a similar price, not with the whole market. Buyability asks whether you can really order one. Ecosystem is the software and community around it. Proof is what it has done in the field, which is where most humanoids score badly and should.
What people buy instead.
- Status
- Research
- Category
- research
- First revealed
- 2023
- Form
- bipedal
- Height
- n/a
- Weight
- n/a
- Payload
- n/a
- Degrees of freedom
- n/a
- Battery
- n/a
- Runtime
- n/a
- Walking speed
- n/a
- Actuation
- electric, proprioceptive actuators
- Units deployed (est.)
- not disclosed
- Teleoperation
- no
Where it stands
Open source humanoid platform from the USC Dynamic Robotics and Control Laboratory; note that the Hector name at TU Darmstadt refers to a rescue robotics team, not a humanoid.
What stands out
- Open source hardware and simulation
- Model predictive control research platform
- Compact and low cost
Autonomy, observed
Papers show walking on uneven terrain and dynamic balance in the lab
Hands, sensors, brain
- Hands: none in base version
- Sensors: IMU, joint encoders
- Compute: onboard computer
- AI stack: model predictive control and reinforcement learning
Price and volume
research platform
Open source
Simulation and designs on GitHub
Sources
- 01HECTOR simulationUSC DRCL
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