Friday Rolls Out: Wheeled Humanoid Masters 20-DoF Grasping

Holiday Debuts Friday

Holiday Robotics launches Friday, a wheeled humanoid robot engineered for real-world dexterity, spotlighting its 20-DoF hands that redefine manipulation in logistics and assembly. Unveiled recently, this 176 cm tall platform prioritizes hands-first design over legged mobility, enabling high-speed tasks with human-like precision. The debut disrupts traditional humanoid limitations by favoring wheeled efficiency for industrial uptime, positioning Friday as a bridge from lab prototypes to factory floors. Engineers at Holiday emphasize its role in tackling the manipulation bottleneck that stalls broader adoption.

Grasping Redefined

Friday's standout innovation lies in its lightweight 20-DoF hands, each weighing just 500 grams yet lifting 5 kg payloads per arm. Tactile sensors blanket palms and fingers, detecting forces as low as 0.05N at 1900Hz refresh rates for nuanced feedback during delicate operations. This setup supports back-drivable joints, allowing compliant interactions that feel natural alongside humans. Meanwhile, the system's 0.2-second glass-to-action latency ensures teleoperators respond instantly, blending autonomy with remote finesse for unpredictable environments.

Wheeled Agility Breakthrough

Swapping legs for a robust wheeled base, Friday achieves 1.9 m/s speeds while maintaining stability through a low center-of-gravity design. Hot-swappable batteries promise 24/7 operations, eliminating downtime in demanding shifts. Advanced sensor fusion integrates obstacle detection and collision avoidance, powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin for real-time decisions. This pragmatic pivot transforms mobility from a hindrance to a strength, letting the robot zip through warehouses while its 63 total DoF deliver fluid upper-body motion.

Factory Tasks Transformed

In precision assembly, Friday handles tools and small components with surgical accuracy, streamlining electronics sorting or packaging lines. For human-robot teams, its collaborative safety features enable side-by-side work, like passing instruments in dynamic labs. Logistics benefits from rapid parcel shuttling, while research platforms leverage cloud connectivity for data-driven experiments. These applications highlight Friday's versatility, turning complex interactions into reliable routines that boost productivity without constant supervision.

Dexterity Enablers Detailed

Friday's skill architecture empowers human-centric interactions through layered sensing: RGB and stereo cameras with IMU and gyroscope guide natural reaching, while force and tactile sensors in 20-DoF hands enable compliant grasps for collaborative handling. At 176 cm tall, 60 cm shoulder-wide, and 50 cm deep, its 115 kg frame (66 kg base, 24 kg waist, 5 kg arms, 15 kg upper body) supports extended sessions via 4-hour runtime batteries. Visual SLAM and integrated avoidance ensure safe navigation, framing specs as dexterity drivers for assembly and partnership.

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