Sanctuary AI isn’t often mentioned in the same breath as humanoid robotics companies like Boston Dynamics, Agility, Figure and 1X, but the Canadian company has been in the space for some time. In fact, a new robot unveiled on Thursday is actually the seventh generation of the Phoenix series.
While a recent iteration introduced legs to the line, Sanctuary is more concerned with what happens from the waist up. Undoubtedly, new videos of the latest robot focus on the trunk of the system. The Canadian company emphasizes the system’s human-like motions in product sorting, as well as the speed with which it can learn such tasks.
Much of the humanoid coverage up to this point has (understandably) revolved around mechatronics — specifically what these robots look like as they navigate the world. Boston Dynamics’ recent video is a perfect example of how much can be communicated in a few seconds.
Ultimately, however, robotic intelligence will be just as—or perhaps more—important to these systems in the future. While “general intelligence” is one of those big, abstract terms, the consensus among many roboticists is that we’re still five to 10 years away from robots capable of learning new tasks in a manner similar to their human counterparts.
That doesn’t mean, however, that today’s systems can’t learn tasks quickly. Sanctuary, for example, suggests that the new Phoenix is capable of automating new tasks in less than 24 hours.
“With Generation Seven, we have a system that we believe is the most human-like of any available,” says co-founder and CEO Geordie Rose. “We see this not only as the cornerstone of general purpose robotic AI, but also as a critical step on the path to general AI, and we’re excited to be leading it.”
Image Credits: Sanctuary AI
Now the timing and consistency almost certainly varies from job to job. The ones shown in the demo are relatively simple — separate objects of different colors — in what appears to be a structured and controlled environment. But Sanctuary definitely deserves credit for already developing previous systems. The company also recently announced a deal that will bring its systems to Magna car manufacturing facilities.
For the most part, the seventh-generation robot – introduced 12 months after its predecessor – brings further improvements to the line, including increased uptime, improved range of motion, lighter weight and lower material costs.
