Humanoid robots in trials work in production, but when can we relax and let them do the housework?
A new video from German company Neura Robotics shows , that this dream is getting closer to reality.
Neura Robotics was founded in 2019 in Germany and produces industrial robot manipulators, mobile mobile platforms and multi-purpose assistant robots. The company has been working on a general-purpose android called 4NE-1 for the past few years. They recently joined forces with NVIDIA.
The promo shows an android doing a lot of household chores – from ironing to cooking, and also cleans up objects scattered on the table or entertains the children.
4NE-1 is 1.8 m tall and weighs 80 kg. Its torso has 3D sensors to provide a 360-degree view, the robot is capable of moving at a speed of up to 3 km/h. The head is also a display, built-in voice recognition, the robot copes with tasks using reinforcement learning. The video mentions training the system in a simulated environment. It can operate autonomously or remotely, and is capable of lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 15 kg.
On-board sensors provide force feedback to all moving joints, ensuring smooth, stable and precise movement. A special sensor based on artificial intelligence “can detect people and other moving objects, even if the sensor view is closed”. The NVIDIA Humanoid Robot Developer Program covers output microservices "that will help developers train machines and improve their ability to handle complex tasks".
When the 4NE-1 will be available for purchase is currently unknown.