C-3PO Style Humanoid Robots Thrive From Surge in AI Development

A collateral beneficiary of the feverish pace of generative artificial intelligence development appears to be the humanoid robot.

A Norwegian company called 1X Technologies, formerly Halodi Robotics, which describes itself as a manufacturer and inventor of androids, recently attracted $23.5 million in a round of funding led by the OpenAI Startup Fund — the same OpenAI that got the AI snowball rolling with its ChatGPT generative AI bot.“1X is at the forefront of augmenting labor through the use of safe, advanced technologies in robotics,” Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO and manager of the OpenAI Startup Fund, said in a statement. “The OpenAI Startup Fund believes in the approach and impact that 1X can have on the future of work.”

With the funds, 1X said it intends to accelerate the development of its bipedal android model NEO and expand manufacturing of its first commercially available wheel-based android, EVE, in Norway and North America.       Among EVE’s potential uses is providing companionship for                     older adults, assisting them with tasks in the home, and                                       possibly providing medical care.                              The Norwegian company is among a handful of firms working on packaging AI into a human form along the lines of Star Wars 3-CPO. They include Boston Dynamics, Hanson Robotics and Engineering Arts, Tesla, and Figure.

Figure’s mission is ambitious: to develop general-purpose humanoids that make a positive impact on humanity and create a better life for future generations. These robots can eliminate the need for unsafe and undesirable jobs — ultimately allowing us to live happier, more

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Until now, humanoid robots seemed more likely to be found in science fiction than in society; the recent surge in AI development has altered that perception.

“Generative AI has certainly been a significant enabling element for the development of humanoid robots,” observed Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst with. purposeful lives.