The NEO Gamma robot can now perform several complex tasks thanks to this AI model, which helps it to ‘learn’ them step by step. — Nvidia Corporation
Nvidia has announced the launch of a new, open and customisable artificial intelligence model for humanoid robots. The aim is for these machines to be able to rapidly learn new skills in order to adapt to ever-changing demands.
Called Isaac GR00T N1, this AI model should help accelerate the development of robots capable of carrying out increasingly complex and varied tasks, responding to the challenges posed by labor shortages, which Nvidia estimates at over 50 million people worldwide.
This unique model is based on a dual-system architecture, directly inspired by the principles of human cognition. The first system, Nvidia explains, is a fast-thinking action model (comparable to human reflexes or intuition), while the second is slower, for more methodical decision-making. It is the combination of these two systems that makes GR00T N1 a tool capable of enabling robots to plan and execute several precise movements in succession.
This model has been designed to generalize tasks such as handling or manipulating and moving objects using one or two arms. The idea is to be able to perform these tasks in several stages, so that the robot can "learn” as many skill combinations as possible.
An open model, Isaac GR00T N1 is already available on platforms such as GitHub and Hugging Face. Companies wishing to test it can do so by giving it specific tasks to perform. Material handling is obviously the preferred sector for initial tests, and demonstrations have already been carried out with the NEO Gamma robot from 1X Technologies.
The AI race is on in robotics, and Nvidia's initiative is just the latest step in the process. Several humanoid robot manufacturers, for example, have already teamed up with OpenAi, the publisher of ChatGPT, to train their devices in increasingly precise gestures or actions. These include Figure, Physical Intelligence and 1X Technologies. Moreover, several humanoid robots can now even work together.
It's also worth noting that a humanoid robot in China has become entirely open source, which means that researchers and professionals from all over the world will be able to work from a tried-and-tested base to improve and customise it. And all this is just the beginning, as some three billion humanoid robots could be active worldwide by 2060. – AFP Relaxnews
