Boardwalk Robotics is turning upper-body humanoid manipulation into an industrial pilot layer

Boardwalk Robotics introduced Alex in August 2024 as an upper-body humanoid for industrial work, starting with the parts of the human form that matter most for manipulation: torso, arms, reach, tool use, and a task-matched base. The product direction is deliberately narrower than a full walking humanoid. Boardwalk is trying to prove that human-scale upper-body motion can be useful in manufacturing, logistics, food processing, sanding, and maintenance before asking customers to absorb the cost and reliability burden of legs.

The company sits close to the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition humanoid lineage. IHMC describes Alex as building on Nadia, with custom quasi-direct-drive actuators, onboard computation, perception, and power, and prior support from the Office of Naval Research, Army Research Laboratory, and Army Data Analysis Center.

CEO Michael Morin previously worked on Barrett Technology's WAM Arm and co-founded Vicarious Surgical. Brandon Shrewsbury led humanoid software and controls work at IHMC, and IHMC senior research scientist Robert Griffin is listed as a technical adviser.

Alex can be mounted on a pedestal or mobile base for tasks including sanding, handling, tool access and maintenance.

Boardwalk builds an upper-body manipulation platform that can be fitted to an industrial work surface.

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