Fourier and Tesla Showcase Impressive Strides in Humanoid Robotics

While Tesla’s Optimus robot demonstrates fresh skills in sorting and balancing during one-legged yoga, Fourier Intelligence, a Singaporean firm, has unveiled a video revealing the manufacturing journey of its incredibly robust GR-1 humanoid.

Fourier asserts that the GR-1 can handle an impressive 50 kg (110 lb) load, thanks to its robust hip actuators, each generating a substantial 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque.

Slim Profile but Geared for Rehabilitation Support

However, its arms and hands appear slender in comparison. The company has indicated that this robot will serve as a rehabilitation therapy assistant, featuring handles at its waist designed to assist individuals in rising from wheelchairs and beds. Therefore, it’s highly likely that these loads will be carried for such purposes.

The company has recently released a video showcasing its production facilities. This video not only depicts the assembly of robots but also highlights the process of winding coils in the specially designed actuators, rows of 3D printers manufacturing bodywork components, disembodied hands seemingly mimicking human movements on a testing bench, and what seems to be a hand controller for the robot. Take a look:

This could be seen as a subtle reaction to Agility’s recent assertion that its forthcoming RoboFab facility in Salem, Oregon, will be the “world’s inaugural humanoid robot factory.” We had raised doubts about this assertion at the time, given that Fourier had previously declared its plan to deliver 100 GR-1 humanoid robots to customers by year-end. In contrast, Tesla, while having made significant advancements in automotive manufacturing, has not disclosed production details regarding its robots.

Fourier Collaborates, Tesla Focuses on Autonomy

On the contrary, while Fourier is distributing the GR-1 to various research and development collaborators, aiming to gather diverse viewpoints on training and enhancing the robot’s skills, Tesla is focusing internally on achieving autonomous functionality and enhancing capabilities within the Optimus robot.

Equipped with advanced vision-based computer systems identical to those utilized in Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” Autopilot system, Optimus can now accurately determine the positions of its arms and legs by observing them, thereby calibrating their spatial orientation. Tesla contends that this self-calibration mechanism enhances the robot’s ability to acquire new skills more effectively.

Block Sorting with Adaptability and Error Correction

One such task involves picking up a collection of blocks and sorting them into separate bins based on their colors. The robot appears to perform this task adeptly, seamlessly adjusting its actions when humans intervene and rearrange the blocks. Notably, it exhibits the capacity to rectify errors when the blocks are not placed correctly.

The current movement speed of the robot is relatively slow, with most of the operational video presented at 150% of real-time speed. Nevertheless, the movements appear purposeful, precise, and fluid, and Optimus’s hands seem to function effectively. Moreover, the robot demonstrates excellent balance, concluding the video with a couple of graceful one-legged yoga poses, a feat that many humans might find challenging to replicate. Please have a look:

Both Optimus and the GR-1 still exhibit a somewhat awkward gait, as one might humorously put it, resembling they’ve got a load in their pants, as the South Park creators might quip. In fact, even after a decade of research and endeavors in parkour, dancing, and gymnastics, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot still retains a bit of an ungainly movement, akin to a need for a diaper check. It will be intriguing to observe how swiftly these issues smooth out in the years ahead, given the influx of substantial investments into this sector.

Future of Versatile Humanoid Robots

Companies that successfully introduce versatile humanoid robots into the market, ensuring safe and reliable operations while quickly adapting to new tasks, are poised to attain an unprecedented position. As these robots expand in scale, they hold the potential to become the workforce of the future—cost-effective, less complex than humans, and capable of working tirelessly across various roles, only pausing to recharge their batteries.

This represents remarkable technological progress and a transformative juncture for our species, albeit with outcomes that remain highly uncertain.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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