The best MCUs/MPUs for industrial humanoid robots

For industrial-grade humanoid robots, the choice of MCUs (Microcontroller Units) and MPUs (Microprocessor Units) must prioritize real-time performance, reliability, high-speed communication, and ruggedness to handle demanding tasks like precision motion control, force sensing, and AI-driven automation.

Here are the best MCUs/MPUs for industrial humanoid robots, categorized by function:

1. Real-Time Motor Control & Low-Level Actuation

Industrial robots require deterministic, low-latency control for servo motors, hydraulic/pneumatic actuators, and torque sensors.

Recommended MCUs:

• STMicroelectronics STM32H7 (ARM Cortex-M7/M4, 480 MHz+)

  • Features: EtherCAT, CAN FD, hardware FPU

  • Use case: High-speed servo control, robotic joint controllers

• Texas Instruments Sitara AM6x (Dual Cortex-A53 + PRU-ICSS for real-time I/O)

  • Supports Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) for industrial comms

  • Used in: ABB, KUKA industrial arms (similar needs to humanoids)

• Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ (FPGA + ARM Cortex-A53/R5)

  • Combines real-time control (FPGA) with Linux-capable CPU

  • Used in: High-end industrial robotics (e.g., Agility Robotics Digit)

• Infineon AURIX TC3xx (Triple-Core Lockstep for functional safety)

  • ISO 26262 ASIL-D certified (critical for industrial safety)

  • Use case: Fail-safe motor control in collaborative robots (cobots)

2. High-Performance AI & Vision Processing

Industrial humanoids need real-time perception (3D vision, LiDAR, SLAM) and AI-based decision-making.

Recommended MPUs/SoCs:

• NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin (2048-core GPU, 275 TOPS AI)

  • Used in: Tesla Optimus, Figure 01, Unitree H1

  • Supports ROS 2, CUDA, and real-time AI inference

• Intel Core i7/i9 + Movidius Myriad X (for hybrid CPU/VPU acceleration)

  • Use case: Industrial inspection, object recognition

• AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 (Zen 3, multi-threaded for heavy workloads)

  • Supports real-time Linux (PREEMPT_RT)

  • Used in: High-speed automation robots

3. Industrial Communication & Networking

Industrial robots require deterministic communication protocols for PLC integration and multi-robot coordination.

Key Protocols & Supported MCUs/MPUs:

• EtherCAT → STM32H7, TI Sitara AM6x, Xilinx Zynq

• PROFINET RT/IRT → Infineon AURIX, NXP i.MX RT

• CAN FD → STM32G4, AURIX TC3xx

• Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) → Intel TSN-capable CPUs, TI Sitara

4. Functional Safety & Redundancy (ISO 13849, SIL-3)

Industrial humanoids must comply with safety standards (e.g., ISO 10218 for industrial robots).

Safety-Certified MCUs:

• Infineon AURIX TC3xx (ASIL-D)

• NXP S32K3 (ASIL-D for automotive/robotics)

• TI Hercules TMS570 (SIL-3 for fail-safe systems)

5. Industrial-Grade Humanoid Examples & Their MCUs

Recommendations for Industrial Humanoid Design

1. Motor Control Layer:

   • STM32H7 or Xilinx Zynq (for FPGA-based servo control)

2. AI/Perception Layer:

   • NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin (best balance of performance and power)

3. Safety Layer:

   • Infineon AURIX or NXP S32K3 (for ISO 13849 compliance)

4. Industrial Networking:

   • TI Sitara AM6x (EtherCAT/TSN support)