Tidewell Brain Kit Prototype
Tidewell Brain on a robot you already own, with the vendor's telemetry removed.
What it does
- Retrofit to EDU-class Unitree and AgiBot bodiesBoth
- Join an existing body to a Tidewell CrewBoth
- Replace vendor provisioning, telemetry and update pathBoth
- Add an independent safety controller and secure site commsBoth
Specifications
| Specification | Design target | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Compute module | NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 or T4000, sealed backpack housing | — |
| Safety controller | Independent dual-channel supervisory controller, e-stop, geofence, speed and separation | — |
| Site communications | Private 5G or Wi-Fi 6E, wired safety channel where the site allows | — |
| Firmware | Signed, per-unit keys, customer-held signing keys | — |
| Provisioning | No Bluetooth provisioning, no unsolicited telemetry | — |
| Vendor network | Isolated at the kit, vendor cloud unreachable from the body | — |
| Kit mass | 3.5 kg backpack plus 0.8 kg controller | — |
| Power draw | 40 to 70 W from the body's pack | — |
| Installation | One working day per body, no body firmware changes | — |
Safety and certification status
- IEC 61508 Independent supervisory safety controller for retrofitted bodies; the body itself is not certifiedin-design
- IMDA equipment registration Radio equipment in the secure comms module for use in Singaporenot-started
How it works
Deployment model
Kit purchase · Brain licence per robot
Integration targets
- Unitree G1 EDU
- Unitree H2 EDU
- AgiBot X2 and A2
- Tidewell Brain
- Tidewell Crew
- RoMi-H
- Open-RMF
How it compares
| Alternative | Task fit | Autonomy | Integration | Security posture | Price band | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unitree G1 EDU as shipped | Research biped with SDK access | Open VLA, research grade | unitree_sdk2, ROS 2 | Root via Bluetooth with a fleet-wide key, telemetry to vendor servers, unpatched as of August 2026 | $43,900 to $73,900 | thehackernews.com |
| Weston Robot service centre | Unitree maintenance, training and rental in Singapore | As shipped | As shipped | As shipped | Service contract | www.westonrobot.com |
What it is
A kit that takes a third-party body with a developer SDK, isolates it from the vendor's network, replaces provisioning and the update path, adds an independent safety controller, and runs Tidewell Brain on a Thor backpack. The body keeps its own locomotion and joint control. Everything above that is ours.
Why it exists
Singapore's testbeds and hospitals are deliberately mixed fleets, and Unitree bodies are already inside them. A site that wants one brain across those bodies and its Tidewell machines should not have to wait for new hardware.
The stated limit
The safety case for a retrofitted body is an independent supervisory controller plus network isolation. It is not a certified body. We do not control the vendor's low-level firmware, and the datasheet says so.
Status
First kit in design on a Unitree G1 EDU. Supported bodies are added as each passes the retrofit test plan.
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