St. Clair College in Windsor is set to receive the Unitree R1 humanoid robot, making it the first college in North America to acquire the newly released model. The robot, which weighs 29 kgs and stands about four feet tall, was purchased from Canadian company InDro Robotics, with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. John Lopez, a program manager at the college’s Research and Innovation Department, said the goal is to understand the robot’s capabilities, software, hardware, and how to incorporate A.I. and large language models to improve efficiency and help industry partners. While the robot can run, walk, and dance, its potential lies in exploring advanced robotics for industrial efficiency. Luke Corbeth, head of Research and Development at InDro Robotics, noted that humanoids mimic the human form factor, meaning existing infrastructure does not need to change. Students and researchers will test the robot on applications such as process monitoring, quality inspection, materials handling, workforce training, and automating repetitive or physically demanding tasks. Nick Dimitrov, an industrial technology advisor with the National Research Council of Canada, said the robots could help bridge Canada’s productivity challenges.