US Semiconductor Firm Allegro Launches 48V Power Management Chip, Claims 50% Cost Reduction for Humanoid Robot Systems
Allegro releases new 48V power management and position sensors, claiming its single-chip integration significantly reduces the size and material costs of humanoid robot joint control systems.
As humanoid robots accelerate in development, US semiconductor company Allegro MicroSystems announced on October 21, 2026, an expansion of its robotics product portfolio. The launch includes a 48V power management integrated circuit (PMIC) and high-precision position sensors targeting joint control and functional safety needs in humanoid robots. The vendor claims that the new A81481 PMIC can reduce the footprint and material costs of related power systems by approximately 50%.
Compared to stationary industrial robots, humanoid robots must integrate numerous motors, sensors, and control components within extremely limited physical space, placing higher demands on power efficiency and component size. As 48V power architectures are gradually adopted to reduce cable weight and power transmission losses, Allegro's A81481 can directly provide system power from a 48V bus without requiring additional front-end voltage regulators, simplifying circuit design. Housed in a 6x6 mm package, the chip integrates two buck converters, five low-dropout (LDO) regulators, and a triple watchdog diagnostic mechanism supporting ASIL-D level functional safety designs.
Beyond power management, Allegro also introduced inductive position sensors for high-torque joints such as shoulders and hips, alongside tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and Hall-effect angle sensors for fine motor control in hands and fingers. In terms of application partnerships, Allegro has collaborated with robotics firm Sarcomere Dynamics to integrate these controllers, sensors, and PMICs into the Scorpion robotic gripper, with plans to expand to the next-generation ARTUS Dex robotic hand featuring 24 degrees of freedom.