Bijin Jose
Elon Musk, recently showcased his latest creation, the Optimus Gen-1. Following advancements in large language models, it seems the race to create the most powerful AI-backed robot is intensifying. The Tesla Optimus account shared a demo video of Optimus Gen-1, which triggered a conversation around AI robots.
Robotics and its confluence with Artificial Intelligence are fascinating domains. In the last couple of years, numerous robotics companies around the world have experimented with AI to showcase their stellar robots. These robots are not only scientific marvels but also can be potential assistants for humans, as seen in popular Hollywood sci-fi movies. Here’s a look at some recent stellar robotics demonstrations, similar to Musk’s Optimus Gen-1.
Boston Dynamics Atlas
US-based robotics and automation company, Boston Dynamics created its bipedal humanoid robot Atlas in 2013. The company has been innovating with the robot ever since. Earlier this year, the company shared a short clip of Atlas showcasing its newly acquired skills. Atlas is shown interacting with various objects. The humanoid is seen assisting a worker by picking up an object and delivering it to the worker who is on scaffolding. Atlas is capable of somersaulting and backflipping.
Optimus Gen-2
Elon Musk’s Tesla recently unveiled its humanoid robot Optimus Gen-2. This robot is capable of doing much more than merely walking and talking. The demo began with showcasing previous versions of the robot. The latest Optimus Gen-2 comes with faster walking speed, tactile sensing on fingers, hand movements, and more. It is also known as Tesla Bot and was first announced at the AI Day event in 2021.
Unitree’s general-purpose humanoid robot
Chinese robotics company Unitree has created a humanoid robot that has some of the best balancing ever seen on a bipedal robot. Unitree H1 is claimed to be the first general-purpose Humanoid robot and is priced at $90,000. It is 1.80 metres tall and weighs 47kg and is capable of walking at a speed of 5.5 km/hour. The robot is equipped with a depth camera and a 3D LiDAR and is also able to map its surroundings in 3D. This also lets the robot have a precise understanding of its nearby objects and surfaces.
Ameca from Engineered Arts
Perhaps, this was one of the most unique demonstrations in recent times. Ameca is among the most advanced robots in the world. In August, the company shared a video where Ameca was seen drawing a cat. The video went viral shortly after. The company endowed Ameca with the ability to draw using Stable Diffusion, making her the first robot to independently draw. While Ameca’s drawing is not a seasoned artist, it is a significant development.
Figure 01
Figure is a US-based robotics company that has specialised expertise in autonomous robots and drones. In October, the company launched its humanoid robot prototype. Known as Figure 01, this is a general-purpose humanoid robot that walks dynamically. In robotics dynamic walking means to maintain a certain momentum while in motion to prevent falls. The humanoid with a shiny metal exterior is 5.6 ft tall, weighs 60 kg, and is powered by an electric system.
evoBot
This unique-looking robot has two legs powered by wheels at the bottom. EvoBot was created by Fraunhofer IML, a research services company based in Dortmund, Germany. This special robot can balance itself without any extra weights and is compact and light. The robot stays balanced all the time and is dubbed as the next generation of transportation. It has arms with inward-facing disc-shaped grip pads at the ends. It can lean forward and roll at speeds of up to 10 meters per second.
Amazon Digit
E-commerce giant Amazon has been testing a warehouse robot for some time. Digit is Amazon’s humanoid bipedal robot from Agility Robotics that can function alongside human employees. According to a report in Business Insider, Digit costs around $10 to $12 to operate for an hour. Digit can move around, grasp, and handle objects from various parts of the warehouse.
Disney Research’s robotic character
In October, at the 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), the Disney Research team showcased their latest robot. The adorable robot which is the size of a toddler and comes with a wide range of expressions was the center of attention. It has a big head two wiggly antennae and stubby legs. It walks like a breeze and has a personality. The robot reminds one of Wall-E the solitary robot from the Disney classic ‘Wall-E’ (2008)
Alter3 powered by GPT-4
A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo recently built a humanoid robot, Alter3. The robot is capable of adopting a range of poses including a selfie stance with the help of GPT-4. According to the team, this was possible after they integrated GPT-4 in their proprietary Android. Reportedly, the team that created the GPT -4-based text-to-movement robot has plans to make their findings available for use in other humanoid robots.
1X’s Eve
Robotics startup 1X this year unveiled its AI robot named EVE. The robot was reportedly deployed as a security guard at an Android manufacturing unit. The robot has advanced monitoring systems like cameras, alarm sensors, and motion detectors. EVE is agile and can open windows and doors, fetch objects, and perform an assortment of tasks similar to humans.
Boston Dynamics Spot robot
Spot is a robot dog created by US-based robotics and engineering company Boston Dynamics in 2016. The four-legged robot inspired by canines weighs around 25 kg. The company has been adding some innovative features to the robot dog ever since it was launched. The robot can reportedly be used for combat, fire extermination, and surveillance. It is equipped with five stereo cameras that offer full-colour imagery. It comes with a Spot tablet that is used to operate the robot dog.
Nao from April
Developed by April, a robotics company in Kazakhstan, Nao is a social robot that has been designed to help children with autism. Nao assists specialists in making therapy sessions for children easy and effective. According to the makers, with Nao’s intervention, the child’s focus is almost immediate, increasing compliance and effectiveness of the therapy. The adorable robot teaches cognitive skills from basic arithmetic to language. Nao is seen as a specimen of human-robot interaction, social robotics, and artificial intelligence.
OceanOneK from Stanford
This diving humanoid robot created by a team of researchers from Stanford can explore sunken planes, ships, and submarines. It has so far descended a depth of nearly one kilometre under the sea. The robot has a humanoid top half and a slimmer bottom half with eight multi-directional thrusters that allow it to maneuver underwater. It features a haptic, or touch-based, feedback system and stereoscopic vision which produce realistic sensations that enable its operators above to feel as if they are exploring sunken ships and deep-water destinations.
CyberOne from Xiaomi
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi stunned the world recently after it unveiled its first-ever bipedal humanoid robot. While the robot may not be as fluid in its movements as Atlas of Digit, it holds its ground with its unique capabilities. CyberOne’s AI and mechanical capabilities are all developed by Xiaomi Robotics Lab. The robot is equipped with a Mi-Sense depth vision module along with an AI interaction algorithm. It is capable of recognising individuals, gestures, and expressions and perceiving 3D space.
Apollo from Apptronik
Apollo is a human-sized general-purpose humanoid robot that is bipedal. The company claims that the robot has been designed to transform the industrial workforce and beyond in service of improving the human experience. Apollo is 1.7 metres tall and weighs 73 kg and it has a maximum payload capacity of 25 kg. It can run for around four hours using its swappable battery. Latest reports suggest that the company has created two such robots and has plans to create more in the future.
All the above-mentioned robots have unique capabilities. Backed by AI and advanced monitoring mechanisms, these robots have showcased some extraordinary abilities to assist humans in a variety of jobs.
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