Bloomberg News reportedMeta plans to build a humanoid robot platform using its artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies, and is collaborating with robotics companies including China's Yushu Technology and California's Figure AI.
However, Meta does not plan to build robotic products on its own, but rather to use its artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies to help more companies build more flexible robotic products.
This project is being led by a new team within Meta's Reality Labs hardware division. While related robotic devices will be created during the process, sources indicate that Meta's main goal is to work with more companies to promote the robotics market, much like how Google uses the Android platform to drive the market for mobile phones, tablets, the Internet of Things, and many other products. This may include helping companies create underlying software for robotic operations, artificial intelligence, or related sensing components.
Sources also indicate that the robots Meta is helping to build will initially target household tasks, offering tasks like folding and organizing clothes, serving water, and loading dishwashers. Similar designs have been previously proposed by companies like Panasonic and Samsung, but their popularity remains limited.
Meta is currently in early-stage discussions with Yushu Technology, a Chinese company that has created four types of robots. It is also in talks with Figure AI, a Californian humanoid robot company that has received investments from OpenAI, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Intel, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Meta is not the only company that has invested in the robotics market. Tesla, Samsung, LG, and many Chinese companies have already invested inRobot MarketCompetition, even Apple is rumored to be creating aCombining iPad and HomePod functionality, and a "robot" product with a built-in robotic arm, but there is no specific news yet.
