Facebook parent company Meta is investing heavily in AI-powered humanoid robots, according to a report from Bloomberg. Meta wants to create robots that can act like humans and help people with physical tasks, and has developed a new team in its Reality Labs hardware to work on the project.
Meta's first focus will be on robots that can do household chores, but the company's overarching goal is to develop AI, sensors, and software for robots that can be manufactured and sold to third-party companies to allow those companies to develop their own robots. Meta is aiming to be the Android of robots.
Robot technology is not currently advanced enough to allow robots to fold clothes, do dishes, or complete other household chores, but Meta feels that its work in artificial intelligence and virtual reality could boost robot development.
In 2025, Meta will spend around $65 billion on artificial intelligence infrastructure, robotics, and virtual reality products. Meta plans to build some of its own hardware, and work with robotics manufacturers to build prototypes.
If Meta does end up creating a humanoid robot, it could compete with an Apple-designed robot in the future. Apple is working on both humanoid and non-humanoid robots, but the company's work on humanoid robotics is in the proof-of-concept stage and years away from launching.
Non-humanoid robots could come sooner. Apple is said to be working on a tabletop robot with an iPad-style display that's attached to a robotic arm, and such a product could come as early as 2026 or 2027.
Apple robotics researchers recently shared details on a lamp-like robot prototype with lifelike movements and human-like interaction capabilities.
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