Google DeepMind Hires Former CTO of Boston Dynamics as the Company Pushes Deeper Into Robotics

Google DeepMind has hired the erstwhile Chief Technology Officer of Boston Dynamics arsenic the institution pushes deeper into robotics. Aaron Saunders, who is partially liable for giving the satellite backflipping and dancing machines, joined arsenic the VP of hardware engineering earlier this month.

The prosecute is simply a cardinal portion of CEO Demis Hassabis’ imaginativeness for Gemini to go a benignant of robot operating system, akin to however Google supplies its Android bundle to an array of smartphone manufacturers.

“You tin benignant of deliberation of it arsenic a spot similar an Android play [...] We privation to physique an AI system, a Gemini base, that tin enactment astir out-of-the-box, crossed immoderate assemblage configuration,” Hassabis said successful an interrogation with WIRED. “Obviously humanoids, but non-humanoids too.”

Boston Dynamics is celebrated for processing legged robots, including four-legged dog-sized systems and humanoid machines, susceptible of awesome acrobatic feats. Saunders worked connected an amphibious six-legged prototype earlier helium was promoted to VP of engineering successful 2018. He became the CTO of Boston Dynamics successful 2021.

Google DeepMind has produced important robotics probe for years. As involvement successful much precocious robotic forms similar humanoids grows, its researchers are doubling down connected processing AI models to power robotic hardware systems.

Hassabis said helium is excited astir these advances. AI-powered robotics “is going to person its breakthrough infinitesimal successful the adjacent mates of years, if I was to predict,” helium explained.

Boston Dynamics is bulk owned by the South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai purchased its involvement from SoftBank, which acquired the institution from Google's genitor institution Alphabet successful 2017.

The components and expertise required to physique legged robots person go much accessible successful caller years. A fig of US startups are present moving connected humanoids, including Agility Robotics, Figure AI, 1x, and of people Tesla. Elon Musk precocious said that his institution aims to nutrient a cardinal of its Optimus humanoids implicit the adjacent decade.

Chinese companies are besides making strides successful robotics, and, compared to the US, connection remarkably inexpensive legged machines. Unitree, which is based successful Hangzhou, China, has precocious overtaken Boston Dynamics arsenic the largest supplier of four-legged systems for industries similar manufacturing and construction.

Hassabis admits that he’s impressed with Unitree, but says his absorption is connected software. “I'm astir funny successful the [AI] encephalon portion of it,” helium says, adding that the multimodal capabilities of Google DeepMind’s flagship exemplary Gemini are peculiarly good suited to robotics.