"There is a fierce battle for supremacy in the bipedal
robot market - the Chinese and Elon Musk and his Tesla are building power in
this area. But, quite unexpectedly, an innovator from Germany wants to fight
for the position of leader.
The humanoid robot
market is an arena of fierce competition between giants - companies from China,
the USA, but also Japan reign supreme. Neura
Robotics is fighting for a place in this group. This start-up, founded six
years ago in Munich, has made its way into the group of leading players in the
industry. It is not without reason that Neura's CEO David Reger has been called
"Young Elon", referring to the technological guru Elon Musk.
Moreover, Reger himself does not hide the fact that he admires Musk for
"how he builds companies, how he achieves success". The head of Neura
Robotics, in an interview with The Next Web (TNW), clearly emphasizes that this
admiration focuses on technologies, not the political activities of the
controversial billionaire.
What can the German robot do?
Neura Robotics has quickly grown into one of the most
generously funded European start-ups in the field of robotics. The company,
employing over 600 people, has already moved into the commercialization phase.
For now, it is about robotic arms and machines for moving loads, but it will
soon present the third generation of its
4NE-1 bot [1]. This device is already being referred to as the most advanced
humanoid - it is to be versatile, it will work well both in an industrial
plant, at home and in the office. Experts believe that it will be able to carry
packages in the warehouse, but also fold washed clothes. The robot, measuring
180 cm tall and weighing about 80 kg, is to be exceptionally efficient and
effective. How much? Neura does not reveal this, but for now the machine's
performance does not make a great impression. The robot can carry loads
weighing only 15 kg and moves at a maximum speed of 3 km/h. However, the
advantage of 4NE-1 is not its motor skills, but its cognitive abilities.
David Reger argued in an interview with TNW that the
humanoid can touch, think and react in a very similar way to humans, and this
is possible thanks to a network of sensors and cameras that power the AI
system that interprets the environment and makes lightning-fast decisions.
The third generation is to have even more sensors, which - according to
"Young Elon" - will improve data collection and "connect the
virtual world with the physical one". But
the key is Neuraverse [2], a digital platform for robotic applications and an
innovative operating system, thanks to which robots can cooperate with each
other and even learn from each other, exchanging knowledge and acquired
experiences. Such a 4NE-1 "brain" will make the robots quickly
develop new skills and adapt to changing working conditions.
The German start-up is reporting that the premiere of the
new 4NE-1 will take place in June.
Humanoid rivals. The tariff war is hitting Optimus
Neura Robotics, which is cooperating with the Nvidia
concern, raised $120 million from investors this year. The start-up predicts
that by the end of the decade it will introduce over 5 million humanoids to the
market. This will certainly not be an easy task, because the competition in
this industry is huge. Just mention the
Chinese Unitree H1, Lingbao Casbot, or the American Realbotix Melody and
Optimus, created by Tesla. The latter is becoming the most serious rival to
David Reger's machine.
Elon Musk's company is designing a multifunctional robot,
capable of pouring drinks or vacuuming at home, but also working on a car
assembly line. The 173 cm tall and 57 kg humanoid is set to hit the market this
year. Tesla plans to produce 5,000 to 12 thousand units. Optimus, however, has
hit geopolitical barriers. As a result of the customs war between China and the
USA, the expansion of the humanoid may slow down significantly. Production is
being affected by new Chinese export regulations. This concerns restrictions on
the sale of special magnets, created on the basis of rare earth elements. As it
turns out, this is a critical component for the operation of drives in
robots."
1. The price of the German bot:
“Still in the prototype phase, Neura's 4NE1 is expected to
go into production by next year, and will cost somewhere between
€20,000-€40,000 ($22,300-$44,600)."
2. Is the Neuraverse platform by NEURA Robotics open source?
Here's a breakdown of what's known:
Neuraverse Platform:
Neuraverse is an
ecosystem created by NEURA Robotics to foster innovation in cognitive robotics.
It aims to build a
community of partners to develop intelligent automation solutions.
It includes an
operating system for cognitive robotics and a blockchain – based marketplace
for robotic skills.
The platform is
used by NEURA Robotics and its partners to develop and deploy cognitive robots.
Open Source Status:
Based on the
information available, it is unlikely that the entire Neuraverse platform is
open source.
While NEURA
Robotics promotes collaboration and community through Neuraverse, the core
platform itself isn't explicitly described as open source.
NEURA Robotics
focuses on the development and commercialization of its robots and the
Neuraverse ecosystem, suggesting a proprietary approach.
NEURA Robotics' Use of Open Source:
NEURA Robotics
collaborates with NVIDIA and uses the NVIDIA Isaac robot development platform,
which incorporates open source components.
They are part of
the NVIDIA Humanoid Robot Developer Program, which likely involves open source
tools and resources.
While the
Neuraverse platform may integrate with open source software or utilize open
source libraries, it doesn't necessarily mean the entire platform is open
source.
In Conclusion:
While NEURA
Robotics actively engages in partnerships and promotes a collaborative
environment, there's no indication that the core Neuraverse platform is open
source.
They likely use a
combination of proprietary technology and potentially integrate with open
source software within their ecosystem.
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą