P0

Parcel sorting in distribution centres is the job that Pink Robotics, legally Anyscrew GmbH of Darmstadt, has in mind for its P0, the company's first humanoid prototype, designed and built in Germany. The figures come straight from the maker's website: 175 cm tall, 82 kg, 32 degrees of freedom, 8 kg payload and electric drive. The emphasis is on repetitive handling of light loads rather than headline numbers.

The company does not say whether the robot walks or rolls, and it publishes no sensors, computer, software, speed or runtime; the only supporting material is a video linked from the site. Numbers circulating on aggregator sites, including the type of gripper, are unconfirmed and left out. The status is a first prototype with no customers named; price on request.

Within Germany the far more developed 4NE-1 from Metzingen, which in Gen 3 lifts up to 20 kg per arm with 55 degrees of freedom, shows how much ground the P0 still has to cover. A practical note for anyone wanting to make contact: the e-mail address on the Pink Robotics site points to a placeholder domain, so enquiries may go unanswered, and a direct approach through other channels is advisable.