Rise of the Robots

Hello there,

Robots have triggered the imagination for thousands of years. About 2000 years ago, the Greek Mathematician Hero of Alexandria described what he called Automatons. He believed these self-operating machines could be constructed and operate according to human instruction to help us in every aspect of life.

It would be another 1800 years before the word ‘Robot’ was introduced by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play “Rossums Universal Robots” in 1920. The term is derived from the Czech word ‘Robota’ meaning ‘forced labor’ or ‘serfdom.’

Since then, Robots have effectively captured the human imagination. We’ve seen many sci-fiction books and movies depicting them in many different ways. From Chappie to Terminator, from Wall-E to HAL-9000, who is actually a robot the size of a spaceship.

This week, we spoke at a 3EALITY event (3EALITY is the AI, Web3, and Metaverse Hub and Initiative by the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven). Afterward, one of the audience members came to us, and we’d like to paraphrase his remark: “Consciousness and real creativity,” he said, “Require a body, not just a brain.” This idea is known as the “Embodied Cognition” theory or “Embodied Mind.”

Could he have made a more apt and relevant remark? Artificial Intelligence is solidly based on machine learning, and these models improve with more data. We are already at the point where an AI with a robotic body can learn and develop skills faster than a human child. Providing an AI model with more input data and sensory perception will undoubtedly improve AI in ways we can’t even fully predict and understand yet. It might very well require a robotic body to achieve AGI.

Even without AGI the coming decade will see plenty of massive disruption to every industry and aspect of live, advanced robotics will be an important part of that.

So, it will probably be no surprise that Monday’s NVIDIA keynote got us extremely pumped. The coming wave will see many aspects of our world change very rapidly, disruption will be everywhere, and we believe that 2024 will be the year of robotics. That is why we decided to discuss this in more detail and include some highlights of robotic developments in this newsletter.

We hope you will find equal enjoyment and value in this newsletter! Be sure to let us know!

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Aragorn & Patrick

ROBOTS: RISK OR RENAISSANCE?

Are we brave enough to embrace the future our ancestors dreamed of? From Hero of Alexandria's ancient automata to the cutting-edge humanoid robots of 2024, we're not just witnessing history but living it.

As technology reshapes every facet of our lives, from how we wake up to how we care for the elderly, the integration of robotics and AI holds the key to solving some of our most pressing challenges. Let's step boldly into this new era, ready to question, adapt, and innovate. The future is now, and it's ours to shape.

Phoenix

Sanctuary AI's Phoenix is a bipedal robot built for real-world tasks. Phoenix can be trained to perform various jobs, like sorting items in warehouses or assisting with assembly lines. Sanctuary has a general-purpose approach to both AI and robotics, which has the potential to transform how we approach labor in different sectors ranging from manufacturing to healthcare.

Sanctuary AI tackles AI and robotics differently. Instead of narrowly focused solutions, they create general-purpose systems like Carbon™ AI and Phoenix™ robots, designed to learn and handle a vast range of tasks, from physical work to virtual environments powered by the Sanctuary World Engine™.

Figure 01 & Open AI

Meet Figure 01. It can reflect on its actions and conclude that it performed well by executing tasks such as providing food, removing trash, and organising the dishes. This is a glimpse into the capabilities of Figure 01, an AI model that can reason and interact with humans in a comprehensive way. Figure’s ability to understand and respond to questions and requests makes it a promising machine. Check out the amazing video.

Spot operational at AB InBev

AB InBev, a global brewing giant, is exploring the use of Boston Dynamics' Spot robot to enhance safety and efficiency within its facilities. The video demonstrates Spot's ability to identify potential anomalies in equipment using its sensors. This capability could revolutionise maintenance procedures. It surely does at AB InBev breweries. By autonomously patrolling and detecting issues before they escalate, Spot has the potential to reduce downtime, improve equipment health, and ultimately boost production efficiency.

Self-driving Janitor

Ok ok, this one is not bi-pedal, but even complicated task such a cleaning a toilet can be done by robots. Somatic shows how cleaning of hotels, buildings, and public areas can be automated as well.

More Robots

Peter Diamantis wrote an interesting article on the explosion of robots on our horizon. He mentions a couple of interesting factors, such as the impact of Lidar, which helps a robot with its proprioception, and, of course, the advances in AI and computing power.

Robots like Apollo, or Digit, or Atlas are only a few steps away from retail. Billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla made this prediction in December:

“By 2040, there could be a billion bipedal robots doing a wide range of tasks, including fine manipulation. We could free humans from the slavery of the bottom 50% of really undesirable jobs like assembly line and farm workers. This could be a larger industry than the auto industry.”

Midjourney's New Feature: Consistent Characters

Calling all writers and artists! Midjourney just released a game-changer for character creation: consistent character rendering. Previously, keeping your characters visually consistent across multiple images could be a challenge. Now, Midjourney remembers your character's key features, ensuring a cohesive look throughout your project.

This feature is a boon for storytellers. Whether crafting a graphic novel or churning out chapters for your next fantasy epic, consistent characters add a layer of polish to your creation. Readers can focus on the narrative without being jolted by sudden changes in a character's appearance.

So, say goodbye to accidental fashion faux pas (like a sci-fi hero inexplicably sporting a cowboy hat) and inconsistent details. Midjourney's new feature lets you focus on crafting your story while ensuring your characters look their best consistently.

Here’s what it can do based on just two photos from Aragorn.

Cool Robot Movies

As we discussed all these robots, we couldn’t help but think about all the amazing robot movies created over the years. There are hundreds of them, so we decided to include a quick list of seven must-sees for you to check out or revisit!

Animatrix (from Shinichirō Watanabe)
A.I. (from Steven Spielberg)
Chappie (from Neill Blomkamp)
Ex Machina (from Alex Garland)
Finch (from Miguel Sapochnik)
I-Robot (from Alex Proyas)
Wall-E (from Andrew Stanton)

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