Meet Phoenix Robot of Sanctuary AI and Tesla’s Latest Launch, Optimus!

Sanctuary AI, a Vancouver-based company, has introduced its 6th generation robot named Phoenix, which is designed to offer ‘labor-as-a-service’ to tackle labor challenges faced by organizations today. They built this general-purpose robot with advanced AI capabilities, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into the workforce in various industries. The company’s unique ‘labor-as-a-service’ business model allows customers to rent out these robots and pay negotiated rates for their work performed, instead of investing in one themselves. Meanwhile, Tesla has announced their latest venture – Optimus, a humanoid robot that promises to free humans from “dangerous, repetitive, and boring” tasks. They previewed the robot recently, which features advanced sensors and AI capabilities.

Meet Phoenix, the World’s First Commercially Available General-Purpose Humanoid Robot

Phoenix is the world’s first humanoid general-purpose robot powered by Carbon™, an advanced AI software system designed to give it human-like intelligence. It completed “110 retail-related tasks, including picking and packing merchandise, cleaning, tagging, labeling, folding, and more.” Phoenix features extremely dexterous robotic hands with 20 degrees of freedom of movement. It makes it enable to manipulate objects like a human hand. The hands incorporate proprietary haptic technology that enables the robot to “feel” as humans do.

Carbon™: A Revolutionary Cognitive Architecture and Software Platform for Robots

Carbon™ is a revolutionary cognitive architecture and software platform for general-purpose humanoid robots. It integrates modern AI technologies to translate natural language into action in the real world. Carbon™ enables Phoenix to think and act like a person to complete tasks. The system uses explainable and auditable reasoning, task, and motion plans, symbolic and logical reasoning coupled with modern LLMs for general knowledge, domain-specific integrations and extensions, agency and goal-seeking behaviors, and Deep Learning & Reinforcement Learning. It also employs photo-realistic and physics-realistic world simulations for robot training and human-in-the-loop supervision, teleoperation, and fleet management.

Tesla Shows Progress on Optimus Bot

Tesla, known for its AI-enabled cars, is now working on a humanoid robot, Optimus. They shared the first glance of the bot at the shareholders’ meeting this week.

The Tesla Bot will help humans get free from dangerous, boring, and repetitive tasks. The humanoid stands 5 ft. 8 in. tall, weighs 125 lbs, and can lift objects heavier than itself. The test video shows Optimus picking things up, stacking boxes, and helping with mechanical jobs.

Future of Robotics: Incorporating Generalized Real-World AI

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been working on developing generalized real-world AI for Tesla’s fully self-driven cars, which could be incorporated into humanoid robots like Optimus. Musk believes that every person would want at least one robot, estimating its demand to be 10 – 20 billion units.

Our Say

Sanctuary AI’s launch of a humanoid robot for rental is a revolutionary step in the field of robotics. As organizations continue to face labor challenges, this technology could help fill gaps in the labor market. With the integration of advanced AI software systems like Carbon™ and the potential incorporation of generalized real-world AI developed by Tesla, we can expect to see even more sophisticated robots in the future.

K.C. Sabreena Basheer

Sabreena Basheer is an architect-turned-writer who's passionate about documenting anything that interests her. She's currently exploring the world of AI and Data Science as a Content Manager at Analytics Vidhya.