Google DeepMind recently announced the hiring of Aaron Saunders, former Chief Technology Officer of Boston Dynamics, as Vice President of Hardware Engineering, further deepening its presence in the robotics field. Saunders is known for developing robots that can do backflips and dance. His joining is a key step for DeepMind's CEO Demis Hassabis to realize the "Gemini" plan.
Hassabis said in an interview that he hopes to make "Gemini" into a robot operating system similar to Android, which can support various types of robot forms. He pointed out, "We want to build an almost plug-and-play AI system that can be applied to various body configurations, including humanoid and non-humanoid robots."
Boston Dynamics is known for its quadrupedal robots and humanoid robots with amazing acrobatic abilities. Saunders was promoted to Vice President of Engineering in 2018 and became CTO in 2021. During his time at Boston Dynamics, he participated in the development of various advanced robot projects, including an amphibious hexapod prototype.
As interest in more advanced robot forms, especially humanoid robots, continues to grow, Google DeepMind researchers are also accelerating the development of AI models that can control robot hardware systems. Hassabis is confident about future technological advancements, saying, "I predict that AI-driven robots will experience breakthrough moments in the coming years."
Currently, the major shareholder of Boston Dynamics is Hyundai Motor of South Korea, which acquired the company's shares from SoftBank in 2017. In recent years, components and technologies required for legged robots have become more accessible, and many American startups, such as Agility Robotics, Figure AI, 1x, and Tesla, have entered the field of humanoid robot development.
At the same time, Chinese robot companies are also rapidly rising, offering quadrupedal robots with highly competitive prices compared to the US market. Unitree, based in Hangzhou, China, has recently surpassed Boston Dynamics to become the largest supplier of quadrupedal robots in industries such as manufacturing and construction. Although Hassabis expressed appreciation for Unitree, he focuses more on software development and emphasized that Google DeepMind's flagship model "Gemini" has strong multimodal capabilities, especially suitable for applications in the field of robotics.
Key Points:
🌟 DeepMind hired Aaron Saunders, former CTO of Boston Dynamics, to further develop robot technology.
🤖 The "Gemini" plan will become a robot operating system similar to Android, supporting various robot forms.
🚀 Chinese companies are rapidly rising in the field of robotics, with Unitree becoming the main supplier of quadrupedal robots.
