Silicon Valley’s robotics rivalry is intensifying. After Elon Musk released Tesla’s Optimus, Mark Zuckerberg has officially launched Metabot, marking a major step into humanoid robotics.
Unlike Tesla’s hardware-heavy focus, Meta has integrated the high-end artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software, aiming to create intelligent robots that efficiently work to interact, and perceive.
Meta is preparing a universal “robot brain,” a cutting-edge software that runs across a range of machines, similar to how Android does on smartphones.
The open-ecosystem approach contrasts with Tesla’s vision of mass-production of millions of Optimus units within the next five years.
At the core of Metabot is Superintelligence Labs, tasked with progressive AI for navigation, decision-making in real-world environments.
Two major hires of Marc Whitten, a veteran of Microsoft and Amazon, and MIT’s Sangbae Kim, strengthened the project, as the high-profiles brought vast experience on working with many successful projects and their combined expertise in large-scale software and high-end mechanics.
While Tesla’s Optimus aims for mass production with hardware perfection, Meta is coming up with smarter techniques to boost their projects with simpler designs powered by advanced models.
If successful, Meta could supply the “brains” for robots worldwide.
With Zuckerberg launching Metabot, the humanoid robotics race is heating up between Meta’s software-first ecosystem and Tesla’s hardware-first empire.
