Eseandre Mordi
⬤ STMicroelectronics just announced they're partnering with Italian robotics company Oversonic Robotics to deploy humanoid robots across their semiconductor factories worldwide. Oversonic will supply customized versions of their RoBee humanoid robot to STM's global manufacturing network. The first rollout is set for STM's advanced packaging and testing facility in Malta, though neither company has shared exactly when that'll happen.
⬤ Oversonic has created three different RoBee versions—one for industrial work, one for healthcare, and one for logistics. The robots heading to STM will be customized from the industrial model, which runs on wheels and is built specifically for factory floors. These industrial RoBees stand between 1.35 and 2.0 meters tall, weigh around 120 to 180 kilograms, and can operate for up to eight hours on a single charge. They move at speeds of about 1.2 meters per second, with some configurations pushing even faster.
⬤ The goal here is to integrate entire fleets of RoBee robots into STM's smart manufacturing systems, where they'll work alongside existing automation and AI software. STM says they're aiming to boost product quality, cut down production cycles, make workplaces safer for employees, keep operations running smoothly, and generally ramp up manufacturing efficiency. STM is also getting deeper into the humanoid robotics supply chain—they recently launched their ST BrightSense image sensor ecosystem, which delivers high-level vision performance even in challenging environments.
⬤ Oversonic isn't stopping at semiconductor plants. Their healthcare version of RoBee is adult-sized and can navigate on its own, hold natural conversations, and carry up to 50 kilograms to help caregivers with tasks like logistics, patient support, and rehabilitation. This push makes sense given aging populations are creating more demand for assistive tech. Italy's robotics sector is picking up steam overall—the Italian Institute of Technology just secured a €70 million investment from Tether Investments to speed up industrial testing of humanoid platforms. These developments show humanoid robots are moving from concept to reality across manufacturing and healthcare sectors.
Eseandre Mordi
