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Humanoid Robots and the AI That Drives Them

A look at the powerful AI behind the robot that allows it to move, think, and act like us.

Humanoid robots, also referred to as general-purpose robots, use AI to perform the tasks they’re given to do.
Humanoid robots, also referred to as general-purpose robots, use AI to perform the tasks they’re given to do.
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Humanoid robots, also referred to as general-purpose robots, use AI to perform the tasks they’re given to do. If you missed the feature we did on these robots, click here. By now you know that humanoid robots are not just a thing of the future. In fact, you’ve likely seen videos of how they are currently being used in manufacturing and retail and could very well be deployed soon on the packaging line. But do you know what drives them? What makes them effective, and what technology enables them to “think” and move like humans? It’s none other than artificial intelligence (AI).

With a combination of advanced computer vision and machine learning, the robot can navigate complex environments and perform tasks like climbing stairs and grasping objects. The powerful machine learning program allows the humanoids to apply new experiences to known information, in effect learning new experiences. and 'learn' how to take this information and its own experiences into account for future actions. It’s this ability that lets the robot reason, draw conclusions, and ultimately, make decisions.

Human-Like Intelligence

As the humanoid robots move around their environment, the AI is what allows the robot to capture information through cameras and LiDAR sensors, analyze that data, make inferences, and then move or act to the desired outcome. Its these sophisticated tasks that allow the humanoid to resemble humans in their thinking.

As CEO & co-founder of Sanctuary AI, the robotics company that created humanoid Phoenix, Geordie Rose has said, “general-purpose robots must be able to sense, understand, and act in the world the same way we do.” And to do that, they require AI.

“While we're immensely proud of our physical robot, the real star of the show is the underlying software. Carbon is our pioneering and unique AI control system, designed to give Phoenix human-like intelligence and enable it to do a wide range of work to help address the labor challenges affecting many organizations today. It is a cognitive platform that provides Phoenix with the ability to think and then act to complete work tasks just like a person. Integrating modern AI technologies to translate natural language into action in the real world, Carbon features reasoning, task, and motion plans that are both explainable and auditable,” says Rose.

EVE, the humanoid robot from 1x, backed by Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, leverages AI to reason and perform tasks. EVE is referred to as an “embodiment chatbot,” generating answers to questions much like Open AI’s ChatGPT does, using available information and patterns in data to give the best answer. Open AI’s mission states that it aims to create “a computer that can think like a human in every way and use that for the maximal benefit of humanity.”

Part of thinking like a human is not only using data to come up with a solution, but also being able to handle many tasks and work autonomously (apart from other human help). Humanoids for use in manufacturing often perform tasks like picking and placing, and material handling tasks, apart from human influence while at the same time operating safely around humans on the line.

Humanoid robots are described as general purpose in that they function in many different real-world environments. The humanoids are there to help do a little bit of everything, learn the environment, predict future needs, and go where they’re needed. But not all humanoids are developed solely for work. Developing more than just task-based learning, Hanson Robotics’ Sophia, is described as a social robot and is learning how to read human faces and expressions for ultimate human-like functionality.

The robot is powered by Hanson AI’s OpenCog, a cloud-based AI program that enables the robotics company to have large-scale cloud control of its robots. Sophia’s “brain “has deep-learning data analytics for processing the data that she extracts from her millions of interactions. She learns through both her own interactions, like humans, as well as what she is programmed to know.

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