One of the Hottest AI Application Scenarios: Humanoid Robots
According to reports from media sources citing insiders, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, AI chip leader NVIDIA, ChatGPT developer OpenAI, and other prominent billionaires or major tech companies are investing in a startup tech company developing humanoid robots—Figure AI Inc.
Currently, tech giants like NVIDIA are actively seeking and exploring new application scenarios for artificial intelligence technology, with humanoid robots becoming a new trend. These tech giants seem to believe that humanoid robots will become one of the most important application scenarios for artificial intelligence (AI).
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang mentioned at the 2023 ITF World Congress that the next wave of artificial intelligence will be a new type of AI called embodied AI. With the recent emergence of the generative video model Sora, which can understand and simulate the physical world in motion, the future development of larger-scale generative video models with physical world simulation capabilities may fully promote the growth of the humanoid robot industry.
Insiders indicate that Figure AI, a startup supported by NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Microsoft, raised about $675 million in a funding round, with a pre-funding valuation of approximately $2 billion. Amazon founder Bezos invested in Figure AI through his company Explore Investments LLC, reportedly committing $100 million. Microsoft's (MSFT.US) major shareholder, OpenAI, will invest $95 million, while funds under NVIDIA (NVDA.US) and Amazon (AMZN.US) will each invest $50 million.
Humanoid robots have become a key application frontier for leaders in the AI industry, enabling the application of cutting-edge AI technology, such as generative AI, to real-world tasks. At Figure AI, engineers are developing a humanoid robot called Figure 01 that closely resembles human form and motion. The company aims for this robot to perform dangerous tasks unsuitable for humans and hopes that this AI-enhanced humanoid robot will help alleviate labor shortages.
In addition to the aforementioned tech giants, other major technology companies are also actively participating. Intel's venture capital arm will contribute $25 million, LG Innotek from the LG Group will provide $8.5 million, and Samsung Electronics' investment group has committed $5 million. Other significant investors include venture capital firms Parkway Venture Capital and Align Ventures, with the former investing $100 million and the latter providing $90 million.
Cathie Wood's ARK Venture Fund is also participating with an investment of about $2.5 million, and Aliya Capital Partners is investing approximately $20 million. Other investors include Tamarack, investing about $27 million; Boscolo Intervest Ltd. with about $15 million; and BOLD Capital Partners with about $2.5 million.
It is reported that OpenAI, the developer of the globally popular ChatGPT, had once considered acquiring Figure AI and is currently planning to invest $5 million. According to media reports from January this year, Microsoft and OpenAI led this round of funding. The star power of these two AI leaders helped attract substantial cash flow from other tech giants.
According to insiders, the approximately $675 million raised in this round of funding is significantly higher than the $500 million Figure AI initially sought. Representatives from Figure AI and its investors declined to comment or did not immediately respond to media inquiries.
Figure 01 quickly gained popularity for being able to independently complete a coffee-making process and perform coffee-pouring actions similar to human movements. If the final outcome isn't satisfactory, Figure 01 can adjust on its own without any remote human control. With a silver-black appearance, Figure 01 closely resembles classic robot images from Hollywood sci-fi movies.
Figure 01 is arguably the world's first commercially viable autonomous general-purpose humanoid robot, designed to perform a wide range of tasks across various industries, including manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail.
This robot combines the dexterity of human form with cutting-edge AI technology, enabling it to understand and interact with its environment, think, learn, and handle various tasks. It is designed for deployment in the workplace to address labor shortages and ultimately to lead in eliminating unsafe and undesirable human jobs.
In addition to its coffee-pouring functionality, Figure 01 integrates the latest AI technology, enabling it to perform a series of relatively complex tasks. By observing humans at work, Figure 01 can autonomously develop an understanding of task execution and complete these tasks independently.
This capability allows Figure 01 to handle a variety of jobs, understanding and using tools, equipment, objects, and techniques used by humans, making it as adaptable and flexible as humans in a broader dynamic work environment.
In terms of AI technology, based on large AI model technology, Figure 01 has observational learning capabilities, enabling it to complete tasks by watching human behavior, independently building understanding, and executing these tasks. This ability demonstrates its autonomy and learning capacity during task execution, marking a significant advancement in humanoid robot technology and the AI field.
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