One of the most famous companies in the world, Intel, is launching a new, incredibly interesting project. The amounts allocated for its development are also impressive. The company’s investment fund will allocate $9 million to develop a new humanoid robot.
Parkway Venture Capital, Brett Adcock, Aliya Capital, Bold Capital Partners, Tamarack Global, FJ labs, and former KUKA Robotics CEO Teal Reuter plan to invest in the development of this technology and mechanism.
The company confidently announced in March 2023 that it was the world’s first humanoid robot that could think, learn, and interact with the outside world. It was named Figure 01. Its main task is to solve the problem of the shortage of skilled labor and reduce the need for people to work in places that may pose a threat to their life and health.
A few months ago, the active testing phase of the device began, and in less than a year of its existence, it took its first steps, which is one of the best achievements in the history of global robotics.
The speed of the Figure 01 humanoid robot is 3.6 km/h. The mechanism operates on battery power for 5 hours with a payload of 20 kg. He weighs 60 kg and is 168 cm tall. It should be noted that the device has 25 levels of freedom.
The engineers equipped it with various sensors, perception and navigation algorithms, and the result is a cross between an autopilot car and a manipulator arm.
The robot can bend down, bend at the waist, lift an object or object that is on the floor weighing up to 20 kg, for example, move a cabinet or a heavy box from the floor to the shelf.
Today, the robot has only learned to walk, but in the near future it will perform many more useful functions.
By the end of 2023, the developers intend to improve the movement capabilities of the humanoid’s arms, and in 2024, the company will launch a pilot program. Within the framework of which 50 robots will work in the warehouse instead of people. In addition, by the end of the year, the project authors want to bring the device to a level where it can perform most operations in the warehouse.
This model of the robot has an improved electric drive that makes its movements smoother. The developers hope to make Figure 01’s gait indistinguishable from that of a human. One of the robot’s advantages is its attractive modern design, which is as good as Tesla Optimus, and perhaps better.
On March 6, 2023, the availability of 5 copies of Figure 01 was announced.
So, the startup has set very ambitious plans for itself. These include not only the use of humanoid robots in hazardous and traumatic industries and warehouses, but also in the exploration and colonization of other planets in the solar system.