Meta is leveraging its expertise in AI, sensors and software, to build a platform for humanoid robots capable of performing household chores, such as laundry and cleaning.
“The core technologies we’ve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics, like hand tracking, material simulation in Gemini, Aria, low-bandwidth, always-on sensors, and more,” stated Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, in an internal memo that has been widely publicized.
Mr. Bosworth said Meta’s Reality Labs hardware division would also leverage Meta’s open-source Large Language Model, Llama. For now, there are no hard plans to create a Meta-branded humanoid robot. The company has reached out to some robotics firms, including Unitree Robotics and Figure AI.
The Reality Labs team includes Mark Whitten, the former CEO of Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving car division. Mr. Whitten was also chief product and technology officer at Unity Create, VP of entertainment devices and services at Amazon, and chief product officer at Sonos.
Meta is actively seeking to grow its Reality Labs team. There are at least 15 job postings seeking experts in the field of robotics and related disciplines.
“We are seeking an experienced Technical Program Manager to lead the setup and operations of a robotics lab, working closely with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), facilities, power, and FAIR researchers. You will be responsible for hiring and managing contract workers, identifying data collection plans, procuring equipment, and planning and executing data collection for researchers leading to successful Robotics research.”
There are also openings for an AI Research Scientist with expertise in AI, machine learning, robotics and embodied AI, and a Robotics Control Policy Researcher – Reality Labs Research.
Other postings include a Research Scientist Intern. “You will work at the intersection of robotic control, machine learning, and human-robot interaction, and you will have the opportunity to work with world-leading collaborators and mentors in these fields. Your primary focus will be on developing data-driven/ML-powered robotic control policies for dexterous manipulation and teleoperation applications.”
Robotics technology has experienced a breakthrough with AI, and competition seems to be the driving force behind the robotics trend taken up by leading tech giants such as Apple, Google and OpenAI. It’s a natural path for many of those companies, since they have already developed, or are in the process of developing, components or technology that integrate into robotics.
Several companies currently use humanoid robots to carry out routine tasks inside warehouses. Amazon, for example, uses Digit, which moves bins from a shelf to a conveyor. And Mercedes-Benz is using the Apollo robot for low-skill, physically challenging manual labor tasks, such as carrying bins.
Apple, well-known for its innovations, is also looking to robotics. So far, It has taken a very practical approach in that area. The company’s Machine Learning Research division has posted on its webpage some of its current activities. One project, the Expressive and Functional Movement Design for Non-anthropomorphic Robot, or ELEGNT, is a simple swivel lamp programmed to move in such a way that it conveys non-verbal human-like emotion. That project has obvious benefits for the development of advanced humanoid robots.
Another Apple project that focuses on robotics movements is ARMOR. a wearable sensor system for humanoid robots that functions as a collision avoidance and motion planning mechanism. Apple has tested the system out on simulated humanoid robots and also on a humanoid robot from Fourier.
Fourier is one of a growing list of companies that have already developed humanoid robots. Figure AI, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, and Boston Dynamics are some of the leaders in the industry.
Meta may have a hand up. Recently the company began collaborating with Wonik Robotics, a robotics company based in South Korea, providing Wonik with Digit 360 sensor technology to improve the function of Wonik’s Allegro Hand. Previously, Meta AI worked with GelSight, a company based in Waltham, MA., that specializes in tactile intelligence technology, to create Digit 360, a silicone fingertip-shaped tactile sensor equipped with over 18 sensing features.
