Latest news with #Raibert
WIRED
26-02-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Boston Dynamics Led a Robot Revolution. Now Its Machines Are Teaching Themselves New Tricks
Feb 26, 2025 1:42 PM Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert says reinforcement learning is helping his creations gain more independence. Photo-Illustration:Marc Raibert, the founder and chairman of Boston Dynamics, gave the world a menagerie of two- and four-legged machines capable of jaw-dropping parkour, infectious dance routines, and industrious shelf stacking. Raibert is now looking to lead a revolution in robot intelligence as well as acrobatics. And he says that recent advances in machine learning have accelerated his robots' ability to learn how to perform difficult moves without human help. 'The hope is that we'll be able to produce lots of behavior without having to handcraft everything that robots do,' Raibert told me recently. Boston Dynamics might have pioneered legged robots, but it's now part of a crowded pack of companies offering robot dogs and humanoids. Only this week, a startup called Figure showed off a new humanoid called Helix, which can apparently unload groceries. Another company, x1, showed off a muscly-looking humanoid called NEO Gamma doing chores around the home. A third, Apptronik, said it plans to scale up the manufacturing of his humanoid, called Apollo. Demos can be misleading, though. Also, few companies disclose how much their humanoids cost, and it is unclear how many of them really expect to sell them as home helpers. The real test for these robots will be how much they can do independent of human programming and direct control. And that will depend on advancements like the ones Raibert is touting. Last November I wrote about efforts to create entirely new kinds of models for controlling robots. If that work starts to bear fruit we may see humanoids and quadrupeds advance more rapidly. Boston Dynamics' Spot RL Sim in action. Credit: Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics sells a four-legged robot called Spot that is used on oil rigs, construction sites, and other places where wheels struggle with the terrain. The company also makes a humanoid called Atlas for research. Raibert says Boston Dynamics used an artificial intelligence technique called reinforcement learning to upgrade Spot's ability to run, so that it moves three times faster. The same method is also helping Atlas walk more confidently, Raibert says. Reinforcement learning is a decades-old way of having a computer learn to do something through experimentation combined with positive or negative feedback. It came to the fore last decade when Google DeepMind showed it could produce algorithms capable of superhuman strategy and gameplay. More recently, AI engineers have used the technique to get large language models to behave themselves. Raibert says highly accurate new simulations have sped up what can be an arduous learning process by allowing robots to practice their moves in silico. 'You don't have to get as much physical behavior from the robot [to generate] good performance,' he says. Several academic groups have published work that shows how reinforcement learning can be used to improve legged locomotion. A team at UC Berkeley used the approach to train a humanoid to walk around their campus. Another group at ETH Zurich is using the method to guide quadrupeds across treacherous ground. Boston Dynamics has been building legged robots for decades, based on Raibert's pioneering insights on how animals balance dynamically using the kind of low-level control provided by their nervous system. As nimble footed as the company's machines are, however, more advanced behaviors, including dancing, doing parkour, and simply navigating around a room, normally require either careful programming or some kind of human remote control. In 2024 Raibert founded the Robotics and AI (RAI) Institute to explore ways of increasing the intelligence of legged and other robots so that they can do more on their own. While we wait for robots to actually learn how to do the dishes, AI should make them less accident prone. 'You break fewer robots when you actually come to run the thing on the physical machine,' says Al Rizzi, chief technology officer at the RAI Institute. What do you make of the many humanoid robots now being demoed? What kinds of tasks do you think they should do? Write to us at hello@ or comment below.
Arab News
09-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Boston Dynamics founder not concerned about robot takeover, warns against overregulation
RIYADH: The idea that robots could take over the world is not a 'serious concern,' said the founder of advanced robotics company Boston Dynamics, as he warned against excessive regulation at a Riyadh technology conference on Sunday. 'There's some fear that robots are going to somehow get out of hand and take over the world and eliminate people. I don't really think that's a serious concern,' Marc Raibert said during the fourth edition of the LEAP summit. While regulation is necessary, Raibert believes that excessive restrictions could slow progress. He expressed his concern about 'overregulation stopping us from having the benefits of AI and robotics that could develop because robots can solve problems that we face in addition to causing problems.' He added that while regulating mature applications makes sense, limiting the technology too early could hinder its potential. His comments were made during a fireside chat titled 'The Future of Robotics and AI,' in which he highlighted the role of artificial intelligence-powered robots in elderly care and assistance for people with disabilities. 'We have a couple of teams working on physical designs, but more importantly on the intelligence and perception needed to be able to do those kinds of tasks,' Raibert said. Beyond industrial use, robotics is expected to play an important role in healthcare, supporting patient care, people with disabilities, and elderly assistance, according to Raibert, who founded the leading robotics company in 1992. 'I think cognitive intelligence, AI, is going to help us make it a lot easier to communicate with the robot, but also for the robot to understand the world, so that they can do things more easily without having everything programmed in detail,' he added. Raibert also introduced a project at his AI Institute called 'Watch, Understand, Do,' which aims to improve robots' ability to learn tasks by observing human workers. The initiative focuses on on-the-job training, where a robot can watch a worker perform a task — such as assembling a component in a factory — and gradually replicate it. While this process is intuitive for humans, it remains a technical challenge for robots, requiring advancements in machine perception and task sequencing. He pointed out that while humanoid robots are gaining attention, true human-like capabilities go beyond having two arms and two legs. He emphasized that intelligence, problem-solving skills, and the ability to interact effectively with the environment will define the next generation of AI-driven robotics. Raibert discussed the differences between robotics adoption in workplaces and homes, explaining that industrial environments offer a structured setting where robots can operate more efficiently. He noted that robots are likely to become more common in workplaces before being integrated into homes. However, integrating robots into homes presents additional challenges, including safety, cost, and adaptability to unstructured environments. He said while home robots will eventually become more common, their widespread adoption will likely follow the expansion of industrial and commercial robotics. As part of LEAP, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority is gathering global AI leaders at its DeepFest platform during the fourth edition of the summit. With more than 150 speakers, 120 exhibitors, and an expected attendance of over 50,000 people from around the world, DeepFest showcases a range of cutting-edge AI technology. The event explores emerging technologies, fosters collaboration, exchanges expertise, and builds partnerships, contributing to innovation and strengthening cooperation among experts across diverse industries.
