Attendees watch as a robot walks around during a demonstration at the Unitree Robotics booth during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas
Attendees watch as a robot walks around during a demonstration at the Unitree Robotics booth during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Meta has reportedly established a new team under Reality Labs to work on humanoid robots
  • Facebook's parent company is also reportedly aiming to develop the "Android for robots" software
  • Apple recently unveiled a lamp robot that can interact with humans and express certain emotions

Tech giants Apple and Meta are set to square off in the humanoid robot sector, as a recent report revealed that the latter has a new team under its Reality Labs arm that will be tasked with a software platform akin to an "Android for robots."

The Facebook parent was looking to develop robots that can move and act like humans to help with certain physical tasks, Bloomberg reported.

Interestingly, iPhone maker Apple had also recently shared details on its work on the future of humanoid robots, unveiling a lamp-like robot that's capable of expressing certain emotions.

Meta jumps into the AI-driven humanoid robot race

Meta has started investing heavily in its goal of producing AI-powered humanoid robots with the end goal of delivering robots that can help humans perform daily physical tasks, as per the report.

As part of its efforts, Meta has established a new team under its business and research unit, Reality Labs, that will work on the project.

Its goals include developing software for robots that can be sold to other companies working on their own robots. Ultimately, Meta has reportedly set its eyes on delivering a product that can be described as the humanoid robot's Android operating system.

This year, Meta is reportedly looking to spend up to $65 billion on various projects, including AI infrastructure and robotics, signaling its shift from a focus on virtual reality (VR) to the emerging robotics sector.

Apple showcases "expressive" lamp robot

News of Meta's recent activity came about two weeks after Apple's robotics researchers unveiled a lamp-like robot capable of performing lifelike movements.

Earlier this month, the iPhone maker's robotics researchers published a demonstration video and a blog post to showcase a "lamp-like robot that explores the interplay between functional and expressive objectives in movement design."

The tabletop robot seemed very inquisitive, as it appeared interested in reading and showed high levels of attention to hand motions.

Among the striking aspects of the demo was when a person on the video said they will likely go on a hike due to good weather. The speaking robot appears sad and turns away when told it isn't invited to the hike.

In another task, the robot, called "lamp" by the person in the demo video, appeared disappointed when it couldn't move to a certain position that was out of its reach.

"Our findings indicate that expression-driven movements significantly enhance user engagement and perceived robot qualities. This effect is especially pronounced in social-oriented tasks," the researchers wrote.

It remains to be seen how Meta and Apple's work on robotics will turn out, and whether they will someday challenge the big guns in the industry, including Tesla's Optimus and other similar tech behemoths already in higher stages of robotic development.

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