Meta plans to develop hardware and software for humanoid robots, Bloomberg reports. The publication’s sources said that a newly created team within Meta’s Reality Labs division will start working on “hardware for humanoid robots” capable of performing household chores.
Bloomberg notes that Meta has broader goals of creating “basic artificial intelligence, sensors, and software for robots that will be manufactured and sold by a number of companies.” This means that the company may not build a Meta-branded robot to begin with. The company is discussing its plans with robotics companies such as Unitree Robotics and Figure AI, Bloomberg reports.
“The core technologies we have already invested in and built at Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advances required for robotics,” Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, wrote in a note seen by Bloomberg. “We believe that expanding our portfolio by investing in this area will only add value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs.”
Tesla has already demonstrated its own humanoid robots, while other tech giants have begun to dive into the robotics industry. Recent research conducted by Apple has allowed us to see a Pixar-style lamp that interacts with users through voice commands and gestures. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the company is exploring “both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem.” Nvidia also has big ambitions for the future of robotics.
The new Meta robotics team will be headed by Mark Witten, the former CEO of GM’s Cruise robotaxi experiment, which has now been discontinued. Witten has also held executive positions at Microsoft, Sonos, Unity, and Amazon.
As Meta continues to dive into AI, having invested $65 billion in it, it is also ramping up efforts to sell its smart glasses. Bloomberg reports that Meta has hired John Coryl, the former CEO of The RealReal, a site where users can buy and sell luxury goods, as its VP of retail.
