Recently, Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock announced a new machine learning model called Helix, aimed at enhancing the capabilities of humanoid robots in household environments. This news comes just two weeks after Figure announced the end of its collaboration with OpenAI, demonstrating their strong commitment to the field of robotics technology. Helix is a 'general-purpose' visual-language-action (VLA) model capable of processing visual data.

Recently, the Microsoft Research team, in collaboration with researchers from several universities, released a multimodal AI model called 'Magma'. This model is designed to process and integrate various types of data, including images, text, and videos, to perform complex tasks in both digital and physical environments. As technology continues to advance, multimodal AI agents are being widely applied in fields such as robotics, virtual assistants, and user interface automation. Previous AI systems typically focused on visual-language understanding or robotic operations, making it difficult to combine the two.

A recent study released by Apple reveals that the company is developing a new framework called ELEGNT, aimed at enabling non-anthropomorphic robots to exhibit more natural and expressive movements, which could open new avenues for the future development of home robots. The research team used a robot modeled after the lamp character in Pixar's animation "Luxo Jr.", equipped with a 6-axis robotic arm and a head featuring lighting and projection capabilities. Through the ELEGNT framework, researchers have enabled the robot to not only perform functional tasks but also convey intent and emotion through its movements.

Recently, OpenAI submitted a new application to the trademark office indicating that the company may be entering the humanoid robotics field. According to the application filed on January 31, OpenAI plans to launch several new products, notably mentioning 'user-programmable humanoid robots' and robots capable of communication and learning, aimed at providing assistance and entertainment for people. Moreover, OpenAI is actively recruiting new members for its robotics team. According to the company’s official recruitment information, they currently have openings for mechanical product engineers, robotics specialists, and senior researchers.

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a crucial tool for companies to enhance their competitiveness. However, despite significant investments in hyperscaler AI products from major companies, AI leaders continue to face numerous challenges. Recently, DataRobot in partnership with CIO.com conducted a global survey, revealing that over 50% of AI leaders plan to increase their investments in cloud service providers.

Recently, Shenzhen introduced a humanoid robot that attracted a large audience while strolling on the streets and quickly gained popularity overseas. This robot, named SE01, has a walking style, speed, and stability that closely resembles that of a human, even moving as gracefully as a model on a runway over a distance of several meters. Nvidia scientist Jim Fan expressed skepticism, suggesting that its gait seemed to be artificially generated, but upon verification, it was proven that this robot is indeed real. Zhongqing Robotics' emergence in the robotics field is remarkable.

OpenAI recently announced the launch of its robot project to further explore the development of robotics technology. On January 11, Caitlin Kalinowski, the director of OpenAI's hardware department, revealed on social media that OpenAI would begin developing robots equipped with custom sensors and published related job openings on its official website. This recruitment covers three key positions: Electronic Perception Engineer, Robotics Mechanical Design Engineer, and Technical Project Manager. The primary responsibility of the Electronic Perception Engineer is to design and develop...

ZhiYuan Robotics, in collaboration with the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and other institutions, has launched the AgiBot World dataset, the world's first million-level robot dataset based on real-world scenarios. Compared to Google's Open X-Embodiment, the scale of long-range data has increased tenfold, the scene coverage has expanded one hundredfold, and the data quality meets industrial standards. This open-source project, hailed as the 'ImageNet moment' in the field of embodied intelligence, showcases remarkable robotic capabilities, from arranging flowers in the living room to cooking in the kitchen and handling checkout in supermarkets.

According to technology media The Information, ChatGPT developer OpenAI is exploring the development of its own humanoid robots. Although OpenAI closed its robotics division in 2021, the company has actively engaged in the robotics field through investments in recent years. Currently, OpenAI has invested in three robotics companies: Figure, 1X, and Physical Intelligence. Among them, Figure AI, founded in 2020, focuses on autonomous general-purpose robotics.

Colin Angle, co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, has announced his return to the robotics field by founding a new startup, Familiar Machines & Magic, focused on developing an innovative home health and wellness robot. According to the Boston Globe, this robot may take the form of an animal or 'pet', aiming to provide companionship to family members while assisting in health management. Familiar Machines & Magic

On December 16, ZhiYuan Robotics announced the official launch of commercial mass production of general-purpose robots, marking the company's transition from the startup phase to industrialization. Since its establishment in February 2022 in the Shanghai Lingang New Area, ZhiYuan Robotics has rapidly grown and released its first humanoid robot, 'Yanzheng A1'. This year, the company plans to achieve large-scale production of robots by 2024 and has built Shanghai's first humanoid robot mass production facility in Lingang Fengxian. Founder Peng Zhihui expressed on social media: 'In two years, we've forged a sword, from inspiration to blueprint, from prototype to mass production, ZhiYuan.'

Colin Angle, co-founder of the renowned Roomba vacuum maker iRobot, is raising funds for his new home robotics startup Familiar Machines. According to documents filed with the SEC, Familiar Machines is aiming to raise $30 million and has already secured $15 million from eight investors. Image source note: The image is AI-generated and licensed from service provider Midjo.

According to reports from Intelligent Emergence, Jiang Xu, the former senior algorithm lead at OpenAI, has announced the establishment of a new company, Light Robotics, focused on the development of embodied smart companion robots. Jiang Xu is a key contributor to GPT-4 and left OpenAI in 2023, founding Light Robotics in August of the same year. Image credit: Image generated by AI, image licensed through Midjourney. Throughout his career at OpenAI, Jiang Xu participated in several important projects.

In the United States, despite the apparent benefits of recycling, the recycling rate has stagnated in recent years. To address this challenge, AMP Robotics has launched an AI system called AMP ONE to help waste processing plants sort garbage more efficiently. Recently, the company completed a $91 million Series D funding round to further advance the adoption of this technology. Image source note: Image generated by AI, image licensed from MidjourneyAMP Robotics.

In Pasadena, California, the world's first fully automated AI restaurant - CaliExpress - is set to open in the coming weeks. Located at 561 East Green Street near Madison Avenue, the restaurant is dedicated to driving innovation in the food service industry. CaliExpress collaborates with leading tech companies Miso Robotics and PopID, utilizing advanced automation and artificial intelligence technologies. The kitchen of CaliExpress is equipped with Miso R

San Francisco-based startup Physical Intelligence recently announced that it successfully raised $400 million, bringing its post-money valuation to $2.4 billion. This funding round attracted the attention of several prominent investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, OpenAI, Thrive Capital, and Lux Capital. According to a company spokesperson, Bond Capital also participated in this investment.