Assuming it will possibly flip its Undertaking Orion augmented actuality glasses into an actual product individuals should purchase, Meta apparently desires to get into robots subsequent. That is in keeping with Sources‘ Alex Heath, who spoke to Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth and studies that very like Apple, Google and Tesla, Meta is researching robotics.
Not like these different corporations, although, Meta apparently is not all that targeted on competing in {hardware}. It has a “Metabot” within the works, however its actual purpose is to create software program that different corporations can license, very like Google does with Android. “Software program is the bottleneck,” in keeping with Bosworth, and the hope is that the mixed powers of Meta’s robotics workforce — led by Marc Whitten, the previous CEO of Cruise — and its extremely publicized Superintelligence Labs can produce an answer.
That work apparently begins with the event of a “world mannequin” that may assist a robotic “do the software program simulation required to animate a dexterous hand,” however will presumably lengthen to extra sophisticated actions and duties down the street. In February 2025, Meta was reportedly constructing a robotic that might deal with family chores like cleansing or folding laundry. Given how early the whole lot sounds, that is probably a good distance off.
Meta is not alone in pursuing robotics. Apple is reportedly working by itself residence robots, beginning with a table-mounted arm with a show. Tesla has often demoed variations of its Optimus robotic to the general public, although typically in highly-controlled eventualities. Meta has but to understand its purpose of usurping the smartphone with AR glasses. Whether or not or not it does, it seems like robots would be the factor it burns cash on subsequent.
