MOEA launches domestic quadruped robot research

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday launched a domestic quadruped robot research and development platform, and showcased two prototypes built in collaboration with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and local business partners.

As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves from generative AI to agentic and physical AI, robotics has become one of the government’s key national development priorities, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said at a news conference in Taipei.

Taiwan has a solid foundation for developing intelligent robots, backed by strengths in information and communications technology, semiconductors, precision manufacturing and systems integration, Ho said.

Local companies, including Solomon Technology Corp (所羅門), Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶), Inventec Corp (英業達), Nexcom International Co (新漢) and Teco Electric & Machinery Co (東元電機), joined to develop the platform over about 18 months, he said.

The two quadruped robot prototypes feature a large model capable of carrying up to 20kg and suitable for firefighting and underground tunnel inspections, and a smaller model with a 5kg payload has autonomous navigation and collaborative transport capabilities. They are system-integrated by Inventec and Compal, with visual payload supplied by Solomon and controllers developed by Nexcom.

Compal smart device business group research and development center vice president JS Liang (梁志賢) said that joint development and testing via the platform showed that Taiwan’s supply chain is competitive in quality and cost, while Teco energy and system automation business group president Scott Chen (陳恆偉) said that the company plans to leverage its motor technology for future development of humanoid and other mobile robots.

The ministry expects more companies to join the ITRI-led platform and develop robotics-related modules, accelerating the commercialization of Taiwan’s intelligent robotics industry, Ho said.

The ministry will continue to support companies through government-funded research and development programs to reduce their technology and product development risks, he said.

Most international quadruped robots use closed architecture, making it difficult for Taiwanese companies to access core control technologies or customize them for different applications, ITRI president Chang Pei-jen (張培仁) said.

The ITRI platform serves as an open reference design for local companies, he added.

In addition, the platform would provide a shared technology foundation for Taiwan’s robotics industry, with future commercialization focusing on complete robots tailored to customer needs or key components such as joint modules, control systems and sensor modules, which can be validated on the platform for performance and reliability, ITRI vice president Jwu-Sheng Hu (胡竹生) said.