AI is fueling the rise of humanoid robots, creating an opportunity for tech giants with computing chops and big wallets. Nvidia, Google, Amazon, Meta, and more are already making moves in the space.
Humanoid robots are gaining momentum as companies across industries race to automate operations for a competitive edge.
These robots resemble the human form and are designed to be multi-talented, making it possible to swap them in for complex tasks normally handled by flesh-and-bone employees. Popular robot forms like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) & autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and collaborative robotic arms are much less flexible.
However, humanoid robots are complicated to build and deploy. They require substantial sensor processing, advanced control, and complex skill execution. They also need multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the environment around them.
In this steep challenge, big tech sees an opportunity well suited to its software development advantages and ability to deploy plenty of capital.
For example, Google and Nvidia have developed models and simulations to train robots. Intel and Samsung have invested in humanoid robot startups. Tesla has announced a humanoid robot of its own. Other tech giants are making their own moves.
In this brief, we outline where some of the largest tech companies are investing to prepare for the future of humanoid robotics.
Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.
If you’re already a customer, log in here.