Future outlook: Meta reportedly plans to invest majorly in humanoid robots powered by AI. The company is said to be in the early stages of developing a futuristic bot that can do household chores and is already assembled a crack team for cutting-edge projects.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg’s Mark Garman, Meta is not planning to develop branded robots like Tesla’s Optimus. Instead, the company is considering supplying sensors and AI software to OEMs who manufacture and sell real hardware. However, Meta has not amortized the possibility of developing first-party humanoid robots in the future.
To get the project off the ground, Meta is bringing together a new team led by Marc Whitten, former CEO of GM’s Cruise Self-Driving Vehicles. The team will be part of Meta’s Reality Labs hardware unit, which will be responsible for products such as the Quest VR headset and Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Building machines comes with their own set of risks, and robots are no exception. To alleviate safety concerns, Meta develops software and hardware tools to prevent accidents such as when a person’s finger is caught in a robotic machine. The company also plans to ensure that nothing happens if the power supply goes out unexpectedly or if the device malfunctions mid-task.
As Meta has not yet officially announced its humanoid robot project, the exact details about it are still vague. However, the company is said to be in negotiations with major robotics and AI companies, including Unitree Robotics and Figure AI Inc, for collaboration on the project.
According to one of the sources, Meta still takes human humanoid robots to the market for more than a few years away, and it could take “years” for the company’s robotic platform to support third-party products. There’s no word on price either, but I don’t think this is affordable given that Tesla is targeting the $30,000 price tag for the consumer version of Optimus.
It is worth noting that some media have already charged this development as a potential competition for Tesla’s Optimus, but this report says that at least two may not be direct competitors at first. It suggests that there is sex. According to Gurman, Meta wants to sell robots to families for domestic chores and automation, but Tesla focuses on selling Optimus to businesses and factories that replace human workers.
