Learning about the latest NVIDIA products and catching up with some of the key players in the robotics and artificial intelligence industry.
This year, fewer humanoid robot vendors were in attendance. Agility Robotics, 1X Technologies, Unitree Robotics, and Neura Robotics had systems on the expo floor, and EngineAI had a small kiosk with only videos to show.
There were several other collaborative robot demonstrations along with a few mobile robots. Overall, there seemed to be fewer robots on the NVIDIA GTC show floor this year.
I also talked to several companies, such as Lab0 and Agilox, that split their staffs this week to send the bigger demos to ProMat in Chicago. Unitree will bring its G1 humanoid to the Robotics Summit & Expo next month.
1X designs a humanoid with a human touch
My first stop was 1X Technologies. I met CEO Bernt Børnich in person for the first time and finally saw the company's robot live in action. My initial impression? The humanoid was impressive, especially its apparent nimbleness.
What caught my attention was the teleoperated demo in the booth (see video below). While the robot was controlled remotely, it was clear how easily the operator could translate their intentions to the robot. Watching it smoothly pick up and use a vacuum cleaner to clean the carpet was a testament to the intuitive controls. 1X is actively training the robot for autonomy through teleoperation.
I asked Børnich about the current state of the company's product roadmap. He replied that it is preparing to deploy more beta units into homes later this year. Autonomy will still be limited, and the robot will be actively teleoperated over the network, but this is 1X's plan to fill its "data flywheel" with the necessary information for training its AI model.
Safety is paramount for 1X, especially since it plans to send robots into homes. This focus is evident in the robot's design. Instead of a hard shell, it's clothed in soft materials, giving it a less intimidating look.
The padding, strategically placed where human muscles would be, is a thoughtful detail, designed to minimize impact in case of accidental contact. This design language positions it as a potential home companion.
Agility's Digit demonstrates whole-body RL body control
At the Agility Robotics booth next door, I spoke with co-founder and Chief Robot Officer Jonathan Hurst and Chief Technology Officer Pras Velagapudi. They demonstrated the application of AI-driven, reinforcement learning (RL) for whole body control.
The Digit humanoid demo was unlike anything that I've seen from the company before. While ProMat and other events focus on industry verticals, NVIDIA GTC is a horizontal technology showcase, so Agility Robotics showed off new advancements in its AI development program.
The company said its whole-body loco-manipulation policy was developed from scratch. The robot's gait, as seen in the video below, appears somewhat erratic, almost "drunk."
However, as Hurst explained, this new gait was a learned behavior, and the engineering team didn't know what the outcome would be. The robot had learned to walk autonomously in two weeks, the majority of which happened in simulation with the NVIDIA team.
While Agility continues to be a leader with the industrial deployments of humanoids, it is also a research company and always pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
CoBot brings Proxie robot
Also at GTC, I had a chance to see and touch the Collaborative Robotics Proxie robot up close and personal.
While the mobile manipulator wasn't running at the show, I was able to examine its design and construction. The system features "swerve" drive for the four wheels on the base, plus a robust cart-capture device.
NVIDIA GTC shows continuing advances
Overall, Day 3 of NVIDIA GTC provided a wide-ranging look at the evolving world of robotics. From the safety-conscious design of 1X's humanoids and Agility Robotics' AI-driven learning experiments to Pebble's self-driving RV, it was clear that the future of robotics is both exciting and rapidly approaching.
All of the sessions from GTC were recorded and will be available only to registered attendees of the event for the next week. Then, select sessions will be published and available for watching by anyone. Go to the event site to learn more.