Meta is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to build robots that can assist with physical tasks, Bloomberg reported. The team will be responsible for developing humanoid robotics hardware, potentially including hardware that can perform household chores, TechCrunch reported.
Meta’s new robotics group, which will be led by Marc Whitten, driverless car start up Cruise’s former CEO, will also create robotic software and AI, according to Bloomberg’s reporting. Whitten has also had stints at Amazon, Microsoft, and Sonos, according to his LinkedIn profile.
To be clear, Meta’s plan isn’t to build a Meta-branded robot — at least not initially. Rather, Meta executive including CTO Andrew Bosworth believe the company has an opportunity to build a hardware foundation for the rest of the robotics market, per Bloomberg — similar to what Google accomplished with its Android operating system in the smartphone sector.
Gizmodo reported: Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms has moved beyond trying to connect with humans and is ready to focus on building robotic ones, according to a report from Bloomberg, Meta is planning to pour money into a new project to build AI-powered humanoid robots.
Meta reportedly plans to start the project by building a robot capable of completing household chores. But long term, it seems the company is more interested in being in the software business rather than dealing with hardware, with a focus on developing the AI that will power these machines.
Basically Meta wants to make the brain and leave the bodies up to robotics companies. It doesn’t currently have ambitions to build its own Meta-branded bot, and has already started holding conversations with firms like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI.
The effort will be headed up March Whitten, who was serving as CEO of self-driving cars company Cruise before resigning earlier this month when parent company General Motors decided to get out of the robotaxi business.
The Verge reported: Meta is planning to design the hardware and software for humanoid robots, according to a report from Bloomberg. Sources tell the outlet that a newly formed team within Meta’s Reality Labs division will start by working on “humanoid robot hardware” capable of completing household chores.
Bloomberg notes that Meta has broader goals of making “the underlying AI, sensors and software for robots that will be manufactured and sold by a range of companies. “That means the company might not make a Meta-branded robot to start. It’s in discussions with robotics companies like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI about its plans.
“The core technologies we’ve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics,” Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, write in a memo seen by Bloomberg. “We believe that expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs.”
In my opinion, it is too early for Meta to actually develop robots that can do your dishes or fold laundry.