Meta acquired a startup to ramp up competition in humanoid robots.
According to information technology (IT) outlets Engadget and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 2nd (local time), Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI), a corporations based in San Diego, United States. Specific terms, including the purchase price, were not disclosed.
Meta described ARI as "a leading corporations in 'robot intelligence,' designed to understand, predict, and adapt to human behavior in complex and dynamic environments."
Wang Xiaolong, ARI co-founder, and other staff members are set to join the Meta Superintelligence Lab (MSL), which Meta created to develop artificial intelligence (AI) surpassing humans.
Through social media (SNS) X, Wang said, "Meta's ecosystem has all the key ingredients needed to realize the vision for humanoid robot development," adding, "We will join MSL and help bring personal superintelligence into the real world."
Meta has been developing its own humanoid robot hardware and the foundational AI to power it. With this acquisition, it is expected to combine model design, robot control, and learning technologies to speed up development.