SHENZHEN, June 30 (Xinhua) — As China’s humanoid robotic industry booms, battery technology has emerged as limiting factor in performance, prompting some tech companies to develop more advanced batteries tailored to robotic needs. (Xinhua/Li An).
Shenzhen, June 30, (Xinhua). — As China’s humanoid robotic industry booms, battery technology is a limiting performance factor, leading some tech companies to develop advanced batteries tailored for robotic needs.
Robots are a part of many aspects of our lives. They can be found in factories transporting parts, running marathons, playing football or even boxing. Humanoid robots are currently unable to meet the demands of future tasks that will be more complex, as they only have an endurance of around two hours. According to the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences the energy consumption of robots is mainly due to mechanical movements, particularly lifting in the vertical and rapid acceleration movements.
A robot performing a backflip may appear effortless but requires a high-performance battery. The instantaneous rate of discharge required can be 100 times higher than that of ordinary batteries used in daily life.
A low discharge rate can affect the robot’s performance. A heavy battery will reduce its flexibility and a low capacity will limit its practical use. These issues are a major challenge for robotics companies. EngineAI Robotics Technology Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen’s tech hub in south China,
released an impressive robot dancing video in March of this year. The company’s PM01 robotic dancer performed the Axegang Dance from Stephen Chow’s classic film “Kung Fu,” with stunning accuracy.
Zhang Nan is a hardware engineer for EngineAI. She said that ternary batteries are widely used in humanoid robotics. Several EngineAI robots already have such batteries.
These lithium batteries, however, have poor thermal stability. Solid-state batteries that have a higher energy density, smaller dimensions and better safety could be the future, with the development of humanoid robotics. “EngineAI is currently in contact with solid-state battery manufacturers for preliminary research,” Zhang said. X Square Robot faces similar challenges. Wang Qian said that the goal of the company is to have robots perform simple and tedious physical work, from electronic assembly in factories, restaurant service, and everyday household chores.
X Square Robot currently uses ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate battery. The low energy density of these batteries is a common problem, and it affects the overall endurance. Wang explained that for robots to be able to enter homes or other future scenarios with high activity, they require batteries with a higher energy density, and most importantly, maximum security.
The government’s work report for this year outlined plans to develop the future industries, such as embodied intelligence. The humanoid robotic sector was highlighted as a major focus. According to the Chinese Institute of Electronics (CIE), the market for China’s humanoid robotics is expected to reach 870 billion yuan by 2030 (about 121 million dollars).
Tech companies are the ones who have responded quickly, and they are now driving innovation in the country. Some battery manufacturers have already recognized this growing demand and have partnered with humanoid robotic companies for research and developments.
In June, for example, the battery giant CATL invested into Beijing-based Galbot with the aim of developing batteries for humanoid robotics and introducing robots to its production lines in order to achieve factory automation.
BTR New Material Group of Shenzhen, a battery supplier, launched in May the FLEX all-solid-state and GUARD semi-solid-state batteries for humanoid robotics. The company has achieved a balanced design between high performance and lightweight through two major strategies, material innovation and structural optimizing.
For example, the FLEX Series’ high-nickel, ternary cathodes utilize molecular-level, in-situ-coating technology that can increase energy density. The GUARD series uses a manganese-rich cathode with a lithium metal design for the anode, which increases the energy density by a significant amount.
Li Zikun is the director of the research institute of the company. According to him, the ternary lithium batteries are not up to the task in terms of their energy density, stability and safety, as well as the high-rate discharge capability for humanoid robotics. Solid-state batteries are better suited to meet these requirements.
Li is of the opinion that batteries for humanoid robotics should meet three requirements: a balance of high energy density with safety, optimized fast-charging and discharging efficiency and stability and reliability in special working conditions. He said that the all-solid-state batteries eliminate the risk of fire and leakage associated with liquid electrolytes. This provides a safety guarantee when used under extreme conditions.
These designs with high energy density can not only support long-duration needs of humanoid robotics, but they are also suitable for increasing payload in special applications scenarios such as aerospace. #
