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Meta has confirmed plans for a new venture that will see the creation of a new department tasked with the development of AI-powered humanoid robots.
The new project will fall under the remit of the existing Reality Labs unit, which has achieved forward strides in various products, from wearables to virtual and augmented reality.
The pursuit of humanoids will see the parent company of Facebook and Instagram follow the direction of Tesla and Nvidia-supported Figure AI, which have used the robots to drive progress in efficiency and automation.
All of this has been made possible due to the advanced AI models currently available on the market to power the technology.
New arrivals within the Reality Labs unit
An internal company memo seen by Reuters detailed comments from Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, which stated the focus of the new team would be research and development involving “consumer humanoid robots to maximize Llama’s platform capabilities.”
He continued, “We believe expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs.”
Meta’s Llama AI foundation model series is the company’s existing resource that powers various generative AI features on its social platforms.
The robotics department will be overseen by Marc Whitten, formerly of autonomous vehicle company Cruise. He will now take up the position of VP of Robotics at Meta.
The robotics development is a huge boost for Reality Labs, which carries a significant element of risk given the losses incurred since its inception. The funding and drive to develop technologies could pave the way for future growth and returns which have been elusive up to this point.
With Meta also recruiting John Koryl as VP of Retail, his task will include moving volumes of products such as Meta’s Quest mixed reality headsets, directly to consumers.
Image credit: Via Midjourney
