Millions at stake: Jeff Bezos and big tech companies are betting on humanoid robots with an investment of $675 million
“Enormous Stakes: Jeff Bezos and major tech companies are placing their bets on humanoid robots, marking a significant focus on the future of robotics in technology investments. This includes advanced humanoid robots, supported not only by Big Tech but also by giants in the automotive sector. The current landscape of humanoid robots is characterized by increasing versatility, precision, and intelligence, made possible by cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence systems.
Jeff Bezos, alongside influential companies like NVIDIA, OpenAI, and Microsoft, is making substantial investments in the robotics and AI startup, Figure AI. The funding round, targeting a staggering $675 million, values Figure AI at over $2 billion. Bezos alone is committing $100 million, Microsoft $95 million, with substantial contributions from NVIDIA and an Amazon-affiliated fund. Notable companies such as Intel and LG are also joining the roster of investors. The heightened interest in humanoid robots is driven by the remarkable success of technologies like chat GPT, as well as a constant pursuit of innovations that have the potential to revolutionize the market.
Humanoid robots, closely resembling humans, are on the verge of becoming a tangible reality, not just for warehouse tasks or customer service but for a wide range of activities, including those deemed hazardous for humans. Figure AI’s impressive results, demonstrated by the Figure One robot standing at almost 1.70 meters tall and weighing 60 kg, include walking with ease, versatile movements, and even preparing coffee autonomously. A recent video showcases the robot seamlessly operating in a vehicle production line, attracting attention from industry leaders such as BMW. Beyond humanoid robots, there is a focus on AI-generated interactive worlds. Google’s experimental project, named ‘Din,’ aims to turn hand-drawn sketches into playable games through unsupervised machine learning.
This innovative technology can transform ideas, texts, photos, or sketches into virtual worlds, providing an immersive experience. In its experimental phase, ‘Din’ has learned to create these worlds by analyzing over 200,000 hours of 2D game videos from the internet, gaining an understanding of character movements and actions. Although the availability of ‘Din’ to the public or its commercialization remains uncertain, the significance lies in the technologies and content creation methods it inspires and potentially serves as a foundation for in the future.”
