WHAT’S NEXT
The most important news and breakthroughs in robotics this week
Click here to learn how you can get started with Nvidia’s new Jetson AGX Thor “robot brain”. Source: Nvidia
1. Nvidia packs a ‘robot brain’ into a palm-sized box: The company just dropped the Jetson AGX Thor, a “robot brain” designed to run gen AI models and help robots navigate the physical world. Powered by Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs, the developer kit is priced at $3,499 — which means you can probably start building a robot for the price of a fully-loaded MacBook Pro. With clients like Amazon, Meta, and Boston Dynamics already on board, Nvidia is betting on robotics as a viable new growth market for the company. You can learn how to get started here.
2. Tesla is pivoting away from its Optimus training strategy: Amid reports that the company is falling behind on its target of building 5,000 Optimus robots this year, Tesla is reportedly shaking up its training strategy. Now opting for a “vision-only” approach, the EV maker aims to teach Optimus new skills through videos of humans carrying out different tasks — like folding laundry or picking up objects. However, some experts warn that translating video data to real-world robotics isn’t as easy as it seems.
3. Robomart claims it’s making robotic deliveries a lot more wallet-friendly: The LA startup’s new RM5 delivery robot packs 10 individual lockers for batch deliveries, which reportedly cuts delivery costs by up to 70% compared to human drivers. The company claims that customers will pay a flat $3 delivery fee with no additional charges — a stark contrast to the multi-fee structure of current apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Plans are in place to launch the service in Austin later this year.