The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition is taking its robotics research out of the lab and into the real world with Alex, a newly developed humanoid robot designed for extreme environments.
Details: The Pensacola-based research institute announced the multiyear, multimillion-dollar project Wednesday, funded through the Office of Naval Research. Alex represents the latest evolution in IHMC’s robotics program, building on lessons learned from Nadia.
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- “The idea is to really start pushing the robot to go outside of the lab and develop it into a system that we can take places and test what we’ve developed,” said Dr. Robert Griffin, senior research scientist leading the Alex team.
The robot’s design prioritizes real-world applications over laboratory demonstrations. At 85 kilograms, with the battery—15 kilograms lighter than Nadia’s—Alex uses custom, high-powered actuators that reduce weight while maintaining performance. Griffin said the team believes they can make future versions even lighter, enabling higher speeds and better performance.
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
ONR funding supports several research goals: next-generation controllers for outdoor urban operations, enhanced behaviors for building exploration, integration of behavior cloning technology, and improved simulation environments.
- IHMC envisions Alex and its successors operating in scenarios where human presence is dangerous—from military operations to disaster response. The robot’s maneuverability, durability, autonomy, and search capabilities could allow it to serve as a human avatar in emergency situations, keeping first responders at a safer distance.
“We think Alex will help advance the abilities of humanoids and their speed of operation, to achieve human-level speeds so that robots can keep up with the tempo of real-world operations,” Griffin said.
The announcement underscores IHMC’s position as a leader in humanoid robotics research. As a not-for-profit research institute within the Florida University System, IHMC collaborates with government agencies, industry partners and academic institutions to develop breakthrough technologies.
The shift from Nadia’s laboratory success to Alex’s field-ready design marks a significant step in bringing humanoid robotics from concept to practical application—with Pensacola continuing to serve as the hub for this cutting-edge research.
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