Meta buys robotic startup to bolster its humanoid AI ambitions
Meta has acquired humanoid robotics startup Assured Robot Intelligence to advance its AI and robotics ambitions. The ARI team, including co-founders Xiaolong Wang and Lerrel Pinto, will join Meta's Superintelligence Labs. The acquisition underscores Meta's focus on developing AI models for physical-world interaction and humanoid robot control.
- ▪Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup building foundation models for humanoid robots capable of physical labor.
- ▪ARI’s co-founders, Xiaolong Wang and Lerrel Pinto, bring extensive robotics and AI research experience from institutions like Nvidia, UC San Diego, and NYU.
- ▪The acquisition supports Meta’s long-term goal of training AI in real-world environments, which some experts believe is key to achieving artificial general intelligence.
- ▪ARI had raised a seed round from AI-focused firm Aix Ventures before the acquisition.
- ▪Industry forecasts for the humanoid robot market vary widely, ranging from $38 billion by 2035 to $5 trillion by 2050.
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Meta has acquired humanoid robotics startup Assured Robot Intelligence for an undisclosed sum, the social media giant said. “We acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a company at the frontier of robotic intelligence designed to enable robots to understand, predict, and adapt to human behaviors in complex and dynamic environments,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch in an emailed statement. ARI’s team, including its co-founders, will join Meta’s AI unit, the Superintelligence Labs research division. ARI had raised an undisclosed seed round from AI seed firm Aix Ventures. The startup was building foundation models for humanoid robots to perform all types of physical labor such as household chores.
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