{"slug": "first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026", "title": "First Centaur Robot Unveiled At WAIC 2026", "summary": "Run Robotics, a Shanghai-based company, unveiled the world's first centaur wheel-leg hybrid robot at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China. The robot combines a horse-like body with wheels and a human-like torso, designed for dangerous environments such as steel mills, mines, and space operations, with a dynamic payload capacity of 100-120 kg and over 95% of core components domestically produced in China.", "body_md": "| First Centaur Robot Unveiled At WAIC 2026 |\n\n| Written by Lucy Black | |||\n| Friday, 24 July 2026 | |||\n|\nThe Shanghai-based company Run Robotics has shown off the world's first \"centaur\" wheel-leg hybrid robot at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai, China. WAIC was inaugurated in 2018 to focus on AI innovation, industrial applications, and global governance. This year's them was AI Partnership for a Brighter Future. The centaur robot consists of a horse-like body (with wheels rather than legs), and a human-like torso. The robot is also described as having an explosion-proof design. It is designed for operations within demanding and dangerous environments, including areas within steel mills, active mines, and future space operations. Traditional wheeled robots commonly encounter difficulties with obstacles such as stairs and loose debris on the ground, while humanoid robots have high energy consumption, which limits their operational duration. Run Robotics' design combines the best of both approaches, allowing the machine to move rapidly across smooth surfaces but still be able to move well across rugged ground. Each leg has active suspension, so they can move independently where necessary. This is designed to absorb sudden bumps and consistently maintain the robot's balance while it moves over uneven surfaces. The joints can also lock Independently, meaning the machine remains mobile even if a wheel sustains critical damage. If damage like that happens, the machine can shift its center of gravity, enabling it to walk or limp out of a hazard zone. The system is engineered to support a dynamic payload capacity ranging from 100 to 120 kilograms while actively navigating particularly rough environments. For static applications, where the robot acts as a stationary base, it can carry 210 kilograms. The platform has 30 free-moving joints and \"advanced tactile sensing dexterous hands, allowing for intricate manipulation tasks\". It also has a system-level explosion-proof design, so the robot could be safely deployed in highly hazardous industrial areas. The upper body has human-like robotic arms and a split-body structure. The modular platform can be configured with different upper-body configurations. These include dual robotic arms, dexterous hands and multidimensional force sensors. The robot's vision makes use of a combination of lidar, binocular vision and depth cameras. Run Robotics said the combination means the robot can identify people, obstacles, and structures such as pipelines, valves and gauges. It can autonomously plan routes, avoid obstacles and accurately locate \"operational targets\". More than 95 percent of the robot’s core components are domestically produced within China. and Run Robotics says the company has benefitted from having its research and production base in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Science City, where it can make use of the area’s industrial ecosystem and engineering talent. The company plans to complete an automated assembly line in the fourth quarter of 2026 and already has commercial orders for the robot.\n## More Information\n## Related Articles\nTo be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our\n## Comments\nor email your comment to: |", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026", "canonical_source": "http://www.i-programmer.info/news/169-robotics/19029-first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026.html", "published_at": "2026-07-24 17:46:38+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-24 18:14:25.643314+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["robotics", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Run Robotics", "World Artificial Intelligence Conference", "Shanghai", "China", "Zhangjiang Science City"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/first-centaur-robot-unveiled-at-waic-2026.jsonld"}}