Kondo Kagaku KHR-3HV humanoid kit robot

Back in June 13th 2009, during their 5th Anniversary, Kondo Kagaku released the KHR-3HV humanoid kit robot. Although it’s been a while since they released the robot, its abilities and price make it ideal for hobbyists as well for use in advanced educational purposes. Hence, we decided to publish an article about this great humanoid kit robot which costs around $1,800 on the current market.

Kondo Kagaku KHR-3HV humanoid kit robot’s dimensions are 401.05×194.4x129mm (15.8×7.65×5.07 inches) (H x W x D) and it weights around 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) with battery. The robot itself has 17 servos – 1 in its neck, 3 in each of its arms, and 5 in each of its leg – as well as 5 dummy servos which are easily attachable and grant it a total of 22 degrees of freedom. The robot is powered by a nickel battery 10.8V-800mAh which can be fully charged within one hour.

Its frame is more durable compared to its previous versions thanks to use of materials such as aluminum, polycarbonate and ABS with incorporation of glass. Since it is a kit robot, you can replace most of these parts with compatible parts or one’s you have molded yourself in order to personalize the robot to your own needs.

Improved design and frame enable the robot to recover after falling with greater ease and smoother folding of the knee joint. Thanks to the strengthened servo arms, the robot is also more resistant to shocks. The change in the design of its sole also enables it to maneuver more easily with greater stability. Design of the back pack enables an easier maintenance of the robot, as well as easier integration of additional sensors and motors. Although the robot features many improvements, it is also backward compatible with most of Kondo accessories devised for previous iterations of KHR robot kits.

It has a RCB-4HV micro controller board which enables the control of up to 35 serial servos. It is compatible with ICS3.0 (serial) servo protocol and a wide range of optional or compatible parts. The board also includes several extension ports (10x A/D and 10x PIO) which enable the use of a wide range of sensors and extension options.

Kondo Kagaku KHR-3HV robot uses KRS-2555HV servos, the first Kondo servo to use ICS 3.0. ICS 3.0 servos operate at 1.25Mbps standard for fast communication but may be adjusted for lower speeds. KRS-2555HV servos have a maximum operating angle of 270º, maximum holding torque of 14kgf.cm (11.1V), speed of 0.14s/60º (11.1V, under no load), size of 41x21x30.55mm, weight 41.5g, and operating voltage between 9V and 12V.

The use of a serial protocol allows the connection of several servos in a Daisy chain. By connecting in a Daisy chain, the number of cables minimized and that prevents problems regarding disconnection during operation and transport and simplifies cable routing.

Its software is named Heart to Heart 4, and that version allows greater control compared to previous version, thus introducing new preprogrammed motion sequences as well as more complex programming of custom motions. The robot comes with 31 recorded motions, as well as additional 9 wireless-applicable recorded motions. The software also features a project management mode which is particularly suitable for improved collaboration and performance in teams.

Overall, Kondo Kagaku KHR-3HV (available in Japanese language)  is a great choice for people who are a bit more advanced into robotics or for study groups where it can be used as an advanced platform or introduction to even more complex humanoid robots. Although it could be a bit less expensive if you built it on your own from head to toe, its robustness and features do make it a great buy.