Humanoid robots take over Las Vegas at CES, technology touts future of AI

This is the week that “Sin City” became science fiction.

The humanoid robots shadowboxed, danced, and pretended to run a small shop. Singapore-based Sharpa displayed a robot hand that can play table tennis and handle blackjack hands.

Technology companies across Las Vegas used the annual CES trade show to reveal their visions for the future and proclaim that physical artificial intelligence is poised for a breakthrough year.

“The humanoid industry is taking advantage of the AI ​​factories we are building for other AIs.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Nvidia, which last year became the world’s most valuable company, announced a new version of its vision language model called Gr00t for humanoid robots that can translate sensor input into robot body control, and a version of its Cosmos model for robot reasoning and planning.

Huang said he expects robots with human-level abilities to appear this year.

“I know how fast technology advances,” he said. His company highlighted partnerships with companies such as Boston Dynamics. caterpillar And LG.

Science fiction writers have been dreaming of this moment for decades. The Jetsons had Rosie, a robot maid. In “Star Wars,” C-3PO helped Luke Skywalker save the galaxy. But in real life, humanoids have so far failed to demonstrate any truly useful intelligence or flexibility, and engineers have long avoided this problem.

Then, in late 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT was announced and generative AI arrived. Using the same deep learning technology that powers ChatGPT, you can teach robots to walk, use their hands, and fold laundry. Many in the industry believe self-driving cars are the first major commercial expression of physical AI.

The leading companies in the industry are getting bigger.

In addition to Nvidia, other chip makers also advanced micro device and Qualcomm A flashy robot-related announcement was made at CES. on monday, Google DeepMind announced it will work with Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics (formerly a division of Google) to develop a new AI model for the Atlas robot.

McKinsey estimates that the market for what it calls general-purpose robotics could reach $370 billion by 2040, with typical use cases including “warehousing logistics, light industrial, retail operations, agriculture, and healthcare.”

But some analysts were quick to point out that the journey from exhibition hall to factory floor to home is a long one.

“The humanoids were something that grabbed everyone’s attention and were great eye candy for the show, but it’s still a very long way from commercialization,” Ben Wood, principal analyst at CCS Insight, said in an interview.

According to CES’ official exhibitor list, 40 companies at the event mentioned humanoid robots on their show websites. The Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES, did not say how many humanoid robot companies were at this year’s event, but CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio said the number of industrial and consumer robots at the show is growing.

AMD CEO Lisa Su on Monday unveiled a new humanoid robot from Italy’s Generative Bionics, which the company is funding. The robot, Gene.01, will be deployed in industrial environments such as shipyards later this year.

Generative Robotics uses AMD’s cloud-based graphics processing units to train and fine-tune its models.

“This allows us to customize next-generation models on the GPU,” said Daniele Pucci, CEO of Generative Robotics. “That’s the brain.”

For now, robotic chip sales are a small portion of Nvidia’s business, and AMD reports it as “embedded” sales, a term for industrial chips. Qualcomm’s Internet of Things sales accounted for about 18% of the company’s sales in its most recent fiscal year.

But they see an opportunity to win business from new robot makers by offering not just chips but a whole software ecosystem to make development easier.

“This is all about major companies establishing themselves as a one-stop shop for the robot development community,” Wood said.

The tech industry is obsessed with large-scale language models in the generative AI boom, and many robots are powered by vision language models. Sensor data from robots can be combined with traditional AI models to make inferences and plans, such as routes through a cluttered floor of obstacles.

In addition to Nvidia’s VLM announcement at CES, Qualcomm also unveiled a new line of robotic chips called Dragonwing that can use the company’s VLM. Qualcomm uses remote control to teach VLM-specific skills, such as how to use actuators to grasp objects.

One area Nvidia is particularly focused on is healthcare.

The company exhibited a robot from a company called LEM Surgical that uses Thor chips. The robot was described as humanoid, but had no legs. Rather, it had three arms, two for using tools and one for controlling a face-like module of cameras and sensors. Its only function is to assist doctors with spinal surgery.

Nvidia demonstrated a Chinese humanoid robot called Agibot in the exhibition hall. The robot used an extensive language model to chat with attendees, but it was difficult to stand on the plush carpet of the conference center.

Also at this show, South Korea’s LG unveiled its wheeled humanoid robot “CLOiD” for the first time.

In the demonstration, CLOiD, which is designed for home use, promised to make breakfast, took a wet towel from the presenter, and stuck it in the washing machine.

But it was late. It took CLOiD approximately 30 seconds to fold the rectangular towel laid out by the presenter.

Speed ​​is not the only concern. Experts are also concerned about safety and the damage that could be caused by civilian robots.

“Homes are very unstructured,” said Jeff Bernstein, president of the Association for the Advancement of Automation. “You can’t plan for your child to hit a robot or for a robot to run over your pet.”

Some of the first humanoid robots to hit the market focused more on fun and flash than productivity. China’s Unitree Robotics displayed its $70,000 G1 robot at CES. Crowds of onlookers watched boxing and dance performances on the show floor.

The world’s largest technology companies are betting that the market is rapidly evolving. Nvidia’s Huang said this week that robots are having a “ChatGPT moment.”

Modar Alaoui, general partner at ALM Ventures, sees robots quickly moving from novelty to reality.

“The next generation is just going to grow up with these machines, whether we accept it or not,” he said.

—CNBC’s Katie Tarasov contributed to this article.