Speecys has begun taking orders for a fuel cell-powered version of their "Speecys" bipedal robot for those who like to keep their robotic activities environmentally friendly. Saving the planet doesn't come cheap however - the "Speecys-FC" will retail for approximately US$24,000. Maybe I'll just stick to Lego for a little while longer...

Speecys announced on 28 June that is had developed a "Composite Fuel Cell System" (CFCS) optimised for robot use and will begin accepting orders for the "Speecys-FC" bipedal robots employing the new system from 1 July. The robots will be made to order at a cost of 2,625,000 yen (approx US$24,000).

The "Speecys-FC" is based on the "Speecys" robot released in December 2004. It has 19 joints (6 leg joints x 2, 3 arm joints x 2, upper body rotation x 1), is approximately 50 cm tall and weight 4.2 kg. Wireless LAN support is provided for connecting to external interfaces.

The fuel cell used in the CFCS is a high-efficiency passive Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) that uses hydrogen as its fuel source. The number of cells and stacks in the fuel cell was chosen to match the robot's electrical load. The cell's rated output is 9.6V/25W, rated current is 3A and peak current is 5A. Each stack weighs 105 grams. The robot is equpped with a 16 litre hydrogen-absorbing alloy canister for fuel storage.

To handle changes in the system current load during robot operation, the CFCS is combined with a small NiMH battery and an assist stack to handle instantaneous and small changes respectively. In addition, as water produced by fuel cell power generation is evaporated by the reaction heat, water drainage is not a problem.

According to Speecys, "environmentally-friendly fuel cells, which don't require charging, are one of the most promising technologies to become a driving force as robots become more widespread in the future" and this provided a reason to pursue commercialisation. Speecys plan to market the "Speecys-FC" to research and other organisations.

VIDEO - Speecys-FC "walking" (editor: more like shuffling!)

VIDEO - Speecys-FC operation demo

Inspired by:
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0506/29/news003.html
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2005/0629/speecys.htm

News release:
http://www.speecys.com/nenryou.html