We're already seeing humanoid robots entering workplaces in limited trials, but when will we relax and let a service droid do the housework? A new video from Germany's Neura Robotics shows that dream is getting closer to reality.
Neura Robotics was founded near Stuttgart, Germany, in 2019 and has since produced industrial robot arms and manipulators, a hovering mobile platform, and a multi-purpose assistant.
The company has also been working on a general-purpose humanoid robot called 4NE-1 for the past few years, and now it's shown off a few of the robot's capabilities in a promotional video released to highlight Neura joining forces with NVIDIA to accelerate humanoid robot development.
NEURA x NVIDIA team up to redefine the future of robotics
In the footage, the humanoid helper is seen performing a range of mediocre or tedious household tasks, from ironing to meal preparation, while also picking up scattered items on a table or entertaining children. The cheerfully named robot is seen operating machines and lifting equipment in a workspace to highlight its industrial potential, and is then introduced to other Neura family members.
It's not clear if teleoperation is involved here, but the video mentions training the system in a simulated environment. The 4NE-1 is reported to be 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall and weighs 80 kg (176 lb). Its body features 3D sensors for 360-degree vision capabilities and can move at up to 3 km/h (1.8 mph).
The head is also a status indicator, voice recognition is added, and the robot learns tasks through reinforcement learning. It can operate autonomously or be operated remotely, and can lift and carry objects up to 15 kg (33 lb).
Manipulating these objects is done via human-like hands at the end of the articulated arms, although the forearms can be swapped out for something more task-specific when necessary. Onboard sensors are said to provide force-torque feedback for all moving joints, ensuring smooth, stable, and precise movement. The company also boasts that it has developed a special AI-powered sensor that can “detect people and other moving objects even when the sensor’s view is obstructed.”
Neuro Robotics
All Neura robots will benefit from early access to NVIDIA’s Humanoid Robot Developer Program, which includes cloud-based OSMO orchestration and scaling to run inference microservices and multi-stage workloads, as well as AI/simulation teleoperation training workflows to “help developers train physical machines and improve how they tackle complex tasks.”
“By combining Neura's innovative cognitive robotics solutions with NVIDIA's advanced computing power and simulation platforms, we will push the boundaries of humanoid robotics even faster,” said David Reger, founder of Neura.
NVIDIA is also providing AI supercomputers to train the models, another platform where “robots can learn and improve their skills in simulated worlds,” and Jetson Thor humanoid robot computers to run the models. Neura's partners and customers will gain access to NVIDIA's Project GR00T baseline model starting in September. A production timeline for the 4NE-1 humanoid has not been announced at this time.
Source: NeuraRobotics