Facebook’s robotic arms and legs are learning faster than ever

(FILES) This file photo taken on November 20, 2017 shows logos of US online social media and social networking service Facebook. - Facebook, facing criticism for enabling disruption of elections worldwide, said it was taking down hundreds of accounts linked to an Israeli political consultancy. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

Although Facebook Inc doesn’t sell robots, its researchers use plenty of them – and the company said its machines are getting a lot smarter, a lot faster. 

The social media giant announced in a blog post May 20 that its engineers, working with computer scientists from New York University, have reduced the time it takes to teach a robotic arm how to grasp objects to tens of tries, rather than hundreds or thousands.