Meet Alex: The Legless Robot Ready to Transform Workplaces
Meet Alex: The Legless Robot Ready to Transform Workplaces
Does the future of robotics really need legs, or are we just stuck in old sci-fi fantasies?
Boardwalk Robotics has introduced Alex, a new humanoid robot designed specifically for tasks in manufacturing, logistics, and maintenance. Unlike traditional humanoids, Alex is legless — a deliberate choice by Boardwalk to focus on manipulation capabilities rather than mobility.
The idea is simple: many industrial tasks don’t require a robot to walk, but they do need precise handling. Alex, developed with expertise from IHMC, is equipped with advanced manipulation technology and is already being tested in sectors like aviation and food processing.
Boardwalk emphasizes safety, noting that keeping Alex on a stable base reduces the risk of accidents, making it more practical for close human interaction. As robotics continues to evolve, the question remains: Are we ready to embrace a future where robots don’t need to walk to revolutionize industries?
Read the full article on IEEE Spectrum.
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Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
