TORQUERO
Why TorqueroWhy robots, why now, why us

Robots are ready.
Are you?

AI is moving from screens into the physical world, and robots are how it gets there. First into classrooms, labs and businesses, and soon into our homes. Here is why robots matter, what people use them for, and how Torquero helps you get started.

Why robots

Why robots, and why now.

For decades, capable robots lived in research labs and factories. That has changed, and the organisations that start learning now will be ready when robots are everywhere.

01

AI is getting a body

Language and vision models are being connected to robots that walk, grasp and act. Understanding this shift means working with real hardware.

02

Learning by doing

A robot turns abstract code, maths and physics into something students can see, touch and debug. Curiosity follows.

03

Skills the future needs

Robotics combines programming, AI, mechanics and teamwork: the skills employers and researchers will look for.

04

Hardware within reach

Humanoids and robot dogs are now products you can order, with open SDKs and simulation, and each generation is more affordable.

The story

How language models gave robots a mind to match their bodies.

Robot hardware and AI grew up separately. Large language models (LLMs) are bringing them together, and that changes what robots can do and who can use them.

  1. Then

    Robots that followed scripts

    For most of robotics history, every movement was programmed by hand. Robots were precise and tireless, but only in controlled places, doing exactly what an engineer had written down. Ask them something new and nothing happened.

  2. The breakthrough

    Machines that understand language

    Large language models learned from huge amounts of text to follow instructions, explain their reasoning and break big problems into small steps. Suddenly, computers could understand what people meant, not just what they typed.

  3. The bridge

    From words to actions

    Researchers connected these models to robots. An LLM turns "tidy the table" into a plan of skills. Vision-language models let the robot see and describe its surroundings. Vision-language-action (VLA) models go one step further and turn camera images and instructions straight into motor commands.

  4. The body

    Learning to move in simulation

    At the same time, humanoids and robot dogs learned to walk, balance and recover from falls through reinforcement learning in physics simulators, trained over countless virtual hours and then transferred to real hardware.

  5. Now

    Robots you can talk to

    Put the two together and you get robots that listen, look, plan and act. Working with a robot is shifting from coding every motion to describing goals and teaching behaviours. That opens robotics to far more people, from students to service staff, and it is what will finally let robots help at home: "load the dishwasher" becomes a task a robot can understand and plan.

  6. Next

    The open questions, and why hands-on matters

    Reliability, safety and evaluation in the messy real world are still being worked out. The people who will solve them are the ones experimenting with real robots today. That is who we build Torquero for: our catalog gives you the hardware, and Torquero Lab builds the AI software and models on top.

The bigger picture

Next stop: the home.

Robots started in factories, moved into warehouses, and are already in millions of homes as vacuum cleaners and mops. The next step is robots that can handle the rest of the housework: loading the dishwasher, doing the laundry, tidying up.

  1. Decades agoFactoriesIndustrial arms repeat one task, behind fences.
  2. Recent yearsWarehousesMobile robots move goods around people.
  3. TodayHomes, one taskRobot vacuums, mops, lawn mowers, window and pool cleaners.
Today

Vacuuming & mopping

Robot vacuums and mops map the house, avoid obstacles and empty themselves. For many homes, this is already the first household robot.

Today

Lawn, windows & pool

Single-purpose robots mow the lawn, clean windows and scrub pools on a schedule.

In research

Dishes & the dishwasher

Picking up plates, glasses and cutlery of every shape, loading them without breaking anything, and putting them away.

In research

Laundry & folding

Sorting, loading the machine and folding soft, unpredictable fabric, one of the hardest manipulation problems there is.

In research

Tidying & cleaning surfaces

Recognising what belongs where, clearing tables, wiping counters and putting toys back in the box.

Next

Help in the kitchen & with care

Fetching and carrying, simple food preparation and support for older people living independently.

What still has to be solved

  • Hands that cope with anything. Homes are full of soft, fragile, oddly shaped objects.
  • Understanding people. "Put the clean ones away" only works if the robot understands language and context, which is where LLMs come in.
  • Safety around everyone. Children, pets and older people share the space, so robots must be gentle and predictable.
  • Privacy and trust. A robot with cameras in your home should process as much as possible on the device itself.
  • Reliability and cost. A home robot has to work every day, at a price a household can justify.

Why this matters now

The household robots of the next decade will be designed, trained and tested by today's students and researchers. The same humanoids, dexterous hands and AI models in our catalog are the platforms they are learning on.

Household robotics use case Torquero Lab

Use cases

What people use robots for.

From a first lesson to an industry pilot. Each use case lists robots from our catalog that fit, and the route most people take: buy, rent or both.

K-12 schools, STEM clubs

Classrooms & STEM programs

Make coding, maths and physics tangible. Students program a real robot to walk, see and respond, and see their code move in the physical world.

  • First humanoid and robot-dog lessons
  • Block and Python programming
  • Sensors, motors and control basics
  • AI and ethics discussions with a real robot
Robots that fit
Booster K1Unitree R1Unitree Go2
→ Rent for a term, then buy for the long run
Universities, research labs

University research & embodied AI

Research platforms with full SDKs, open interfaces and simulation models for locomotion, manipulation, human-robot interaction and robot learning.

  • Reinforcement learning and sim-to-real
  • Vision-language-action models
  • Human-robot interaction studies
  • Thesis and PhD projects
Robots that fit
Unitree G1Booster T2AgiBot X1Unitree H2ROBOTO 01
→ Buy, with optional Torquero Lab support
Research labs, robot makers, consumer-tech R&D

Home & household robotics

Robot vacuums and mops are already in our homes. Next come robots that load the dishwasher, sort laundry and tidy up. Develop and test those household skills on real humanoids and hands today.

  • Dishwasher loading and table clearing
  • Laundry sorting and folding
  • Tidying and object rearrangement
  • LLM-driven instructions like "put the clean ones away"
Robots that fit
Unitree G1AgiBot X2Unitree R1RP Hand
→ Buy for the lab, with Torquero Lab for household skills
Student teams, universities

Robot competitions & RoboCup

Humanoid soccer and other competitions build teamwork and serious engineering skills. Compact, robust humanoids let teams focus on software and strategy.

  • RoboCup humanoid soccer
  • Perception and team strategy
  • Fast iteration on walking and kicking
Robots that fit
Booster K1Booster T2Unitree G1
→ Buy a team set, rent extras for tournaments
Event organisers, marketing teams

Events, fairs & exhibitions

Few things draw a crowd like a walking humanoid or a robot dog. Robots make booths, launches and conferences memorable and start conversations.

  • Trade-fair booth attraction
  • Product launches and keynotes
  • Interactive demos and photo moments
Robots that fit
AgiBot X2Unitree G1Unitree Go2
→ Rent for the event
Museums, science centres, libraries

Museums & science centres

Show visitors what robotics and AI really look like today, with hands-on demonstrations and workshops that make technology approachable.

  • Robotics and AI exhibitions
  • Live demonstrations and guided tours
  • Family and school workshops
Robots that fit
Unitree R1AgiBot X2Unitree Go2
→ Rent for an exhibition, or buy for a permanent display
Industry R&D teams, innovation labs

Industry R&D & prototyping

Explore what legged and humanoid robots can do for your operations before committing to a large programme: inspection, logistics, handling and more.

  • Inspection and patrol prototypes
  • Material handling and logistics trials
  • Proofs of concept for new products
Robots that fit
Unitree H2Unitree Go2AgiBot D1 EduBooster T2
→ Rent for a pilot, with Torquero Lab for the software
Robotics researchers, hardware developers

Manipulation & dexterity research

Dexterous hands and high-torque actuators for grasping research, new robot designs and teaching how joints and hands really work.

  • Grasping and tactile sensing
  • Custom robot arms and legs
  • Actuator and control experiments
Robots that fit
RP HandROMOMOUnitree G1
→ Buy
Hospitality, retail, real estate

Customer interaction pilots

Test how guests and customers respond to a robot that greets, guides and answers questions, before deciding where robots fit in your service.

  • Reception and wayfinding pilots
  • Showroom and store experiences
  • Voice and LLM-powered conversations
Robots that fit
AgiBot X2Unitree R1
→ Rent for a pilot, with Torquero Lab for the conversation layer
Makers, hobbyists, hackerspaces

Makers & hobbyists

Build and modify a humanoid yourself. Open-source designs and modules let makers learn humanoid robotics from the ground up.

  • Build an open-source humanoid
  • Custom robots from joint modules
  • Community and hackerspace projects
Robots that fit
ROBOTO OriginROMOMOAgiBot X1
→ Buy

Why Torquero

One partner to get things moving.

Choosing, funding and running robots is new for most organisations. We make it simple.

Brand-independentWe work with several leading makers, so our advice is about what fits you, not what we have to sell.
Buy, rent or buildStart with a rental, buy when you are sure, or have us build a custom kit. Your route, your pace.
Education at the coreSchools, universities and learners are our focus from day one, not an afterthought.
AI lab in-houseTorquero Lab builds AI software and LLM-based models for robots, so we understand the platforms beyond the spec sheet.
WorldwideHeadquartered in Groningen, the Netherlands, and working with customers around the world.
One point of contactAdvice, ordering, rentals and follow-up questions, all through one team. Read our story.

FAQ

Questions about robots and AI.

What is a humanoid robot?

A humanoid robot has a human-like body: a torso, head, two arms and usually two legs. That shape lets it work in spaces and with tools designed for people. Examples in the Torquero catalog include the Unitree G1, Booster K1 and AgiBot X1.

How are large language models (LLMs) used in robots?

LLMs let robots understand spoken or written instructions, reason about a task and break it into steps such as find, walk, grasp and return. They are combined with vision models to understand the scene and with control policies that move the robot's joints.

What is a vision-language-action (VLA) model?

A vision-language-action model takes camera images and a language instruction as input and outputs robot actions directly. It connects seeing, understanding and doing in one model, and is a key building block for general-purpose robots.

When will robots do household chores like dishes and laundry?

Single-task home robots such as robot vacuums, mops, lawn mowers and window cleaners are already common. General-purpose robots that load dishwashers, fold laundry and tidy up are an active research area. They still need better hands, safety around people and reliability at a household price, so there is no fixed date yet.

Why should schools and universities invest in robots now?

Robotics combines programming, AI, mechanics and teamwork, and humanoids and robot dogs are now affordable enough for education. Students who learn on real robots today are the engineers who will build tomorrow's robots.

Should we buy or rent a robot?

Renting suits a term, a project, an event or a trial before you commit. Buying suits long-term programmes and research. Torquero offers both, and can advise on which fits your plans.

Found your use case?

Tell us what you want to teach, research or show, and we will suggest the right robot and the best way to get it.

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