Robot Dexterity Still Seems Hard

You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting someone trying to build humanoid robots. The Humanoid Robot Guide lists 47 different humanoids made by 38 different manufacturers, and this Technology Review article claims 160 companies worldwide are building humanoids. Many of these manufacturers are startups that have raised (or are raising) hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital. 1X Technologies has raised around $125 million in funding, Apptronik has raised $350 million, and Agility Robotics is looking to raise $400 million. Figure AI has raised $675 million, and is aiming to raise $1.5 billion more. Since 2015, humanoid robot startups have raised more than $7.2 billion. Other manufacturers are existing companies trying their hand at humanoids. Tesla is developing its Optimus humanoid, Unitree its G1, Boston Dynamics its Atlas. A variety of Chinese EV manufacturers, such as Xpeng, Xiaomi, and Nio, are also trying their hand at humanoids (and why not, as both electric v ... Read full article.