{"id":"apptronik-quadrupedal","manufacturer":"Apptronik","model":"QDH (Quad-Domain Hand)","country":"US","description":"QDH was an early research platform from Apptronik of Austin, Texas: a humanoid upper body (arms and torso) that could be paired with different mobile bases. It is neither a quadruped nor a hand, as some catalogs suggest, and it was one of the steps toward the Apollo humanoid.","catalog_status":"research","specifications":{"height_cm":null,"weight_kg":null,"payload_kg":null,"dof":18,"speed_ms":null,"battery_h":null},"capabilities":["sort","assemble","thread"],"source":{"url":"https://apptronik.com","verified_at":null,"verified_fields":[],"review_status":"requires_current_source_check"},"evidence":{"manufacturer_review":null,"mera_field_test":{"status":"not_published","report_url":null,"measured_at":null},"verification_note":"A manufacturer documentation check does not verify field performance, inventory or MERA compatibility."},"knowledge":{"summary":"QDH was an early research platform from Apptronik of Austin, Texas: a humanoid upper body (arms and torso) that could be paired with different mobile bases. It is neither a quadruped nor a hand, as some catalogs suggest, and it was one of the steps toward the Apollo humanoid.","sections":[{"h":"What QDH was","p":["In its overview of past robots, Apptronik describes QDH as an upper-body platform used to refine compact, high-performance actuation and manipulation for robots that work safely around people, and to explore how humanoid arms, torso motion and control can support natural interaction and useful tasks.","A key lesson was that the upper body and the mobility platform can be developed separately and combined in different ways, an idea carried into Apollo 2, which can run on wheels or two legs.","Apptronik does not publish QDH specifications (dimensions, weight, DoF); the catalog's 18 DoF is not confirmed by the manufacturer."]},{"h":"Place in Apptronik's history","p":["QDH belongs to a series of early platforms: QDA (the first upper-body testbed), QDB (Quick Development Biped, for balance and walking), the liquid-cooled 10-DoF Draco II and III bipeds, the Astra humanoid upper body and the Scorpio mobile manipulator. Apptronik also built the Sagittarius and Apex exoskeletons.","Apptronik's co-founders previously worked on actuators and controls for NASA's 44-DoF Valkyrie humanoid for the DARPA Robotics Challenge. Lessons from all of these fed into Apollo."]},{"h":"Company","p":["Apptronik is based in Austin, Texas, and now focuses on the Apollo 2 humanoid for warehousing, logistics and manufacturing. Apollo works with Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics models and uses swappable batteries and Apptronik's patented actuators."]},{"h":"Price and availability","p":["QDH was an internal platform and was never sold."]}],"timeline":[["2023-08","Apollo humanoid unveiled, succeeding early platforms such as QDH"]],"faq":[["Is Apptronik QDH a quadruped?","No. It was a humanoid upper body that could be mounted on different mobile bases."],["What does QDH stand for?","Apptronik does not spell it out; related platforms include QDA and QDB (Quick Development Biped)."],["Can you buy QDH?","No, it was an internal Apptronik research platform."],["What replaced QDH?","The Apollo humanoid, now in its Apollo 2 version."]],"sources":[{"title":"Our Work","publisher":"Apptronik","url":"https://apptronik.com/company/our-work","date":"2026-10"},{"title":"Apollo 2","publisher":"Apptronik","url":"https://apptronik.com/apollo/apollo-2","date":"2026-10"},{"title":"Our Mission","publisher":"Apptronik","url":"https://apptronik.com/company/our-mission","date":"2026-10"},{"title":"Press Releases (Apptronik Unveils Apollo, 2023-08-23)","publisher":"Apptronik","url":"https://apptronik.com/company/press-releases","date":"2023-08-23"}],"updated":"2026-10-10"},"mera":{"rental_with_operator":false,"sale_in_offer":false,"availability":"confirmation_required","shop_url":null},"url":"https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoids/apptronik-quadrupedal","inquiry_url":"https://merarobotics.com/en/start?service=purchase&robot=apptronik-quadrupedal"}