TALOS

TALOS from PAL Robotics stands as one of the most established humanoid research platforms in the academic community, deployed across multiple institutions worldwide for cutting-edge robotics research. Named after the giant automaton protecting Crete in Greek mythology, TALOS has been advancing humanoid capabilities since 2017.

Standing 1.75 meters tall and weighing 95 kg, TALOS is a 32-degree-of-freedom fully electrical biped designed for dynamic walking and heavy lifting. Each arm supports 6 kg payload when fully extended, designed with heavy industrial tools in mind. The robot walks at up to 3 km/h with full torque sensor feedback in all joints.

TALOS operates with 2 kHz control latency and comprehensive ROS/ROS2 support, making it accessible to researchers working with standard robotics frameworks. Connectivity includes WiFi, Ethernet with direct PC connection, and EtherCAT capability for industrial integration.

The University of Edinburgh's Learning and Motor Control Group has utilized TALOS since 2021 for research in robot motion synthesis. Teams also employ TALOS for immersive teleoperation research, where the robot serves as an avatar for dangerous situations controlled remotely by humans. Current research applications span AI and machine learning, multi-contact motion planning, and dynamic walking, pushing the boundaries of what humanoid robots can achieve.