Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, has highlighted the significance of developing foundation models for general humanoid robots, describing it as one of the most exciting challenges in AI today. The humanoid form factor is a highly debated topic in robotics, attracting significant venture capital but also facing considerable skepticism.
Nvidia, a key player in AI hardware, has been positioning itself as a driver for robotic innovation through projects like Isaac and Jetson. At their recent GTC developer conference, Nvidia introduced Project GR00T, aimed at advancing humanoid robotics. This platform is designed to support various companies in the humanoid robot space, including 1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Boston Dynamics, Figure AI, Fourier Intelligence, Sanctuary AI, Unitree Robotics, and XPENG Robotics.
Named after Marvel’s Character, Groot
Source: Disney
Project GR00T in Details
Agility Robotics and Sanctuary AI, among others, have expressed excitement about partnering with Nvidia. They believe that advanced AI will accelerate the development of human-centric robots, such as Agility’s Digit, which could revolutionize labor and daily life.
Project GR00T will be supported by new Nvidia hardware, including the Jetson Thor computer, tailored for running AI models for humanoid robots. While achieving a truly “general-purpose” humanoid robot is still a long-term goal, Nvidia’s efforts are seen as a significant step forward for the industry.
In addition to GR00T, Nvidia announced Isaac Manipulator and Isaac Perceptor at GTC. These programs focus on improving robotic manipulation and perception, respectively, with the goal of automating a greater number of tasks. Partnerships with companies like Franka Robotics, PickNik Robotics, READY Robotics, Solomon, Universal Robots, Yaskawa, ArcBest, BYD, and KION Group demonstrate Nvidia’s commitment to driving innovation across various robotic domains, including humanoids and autonomous mobile robots.
