Fourier Intelligence Launch General-Purpose Robot, GR-1 - The World's First Mass Produced Humanoid Robot (Robot Uprising Update)

Concept image of Fourier Intelligence's GR-1
Humanoid Robot in its final form.

In even more proof that the movie I Robot is actually a documentary sent from the future, Fourier Intelligence launched their GR-1 General Purpose, Humanoid Robot at the World AI Conference in Shanghai.

CEO and Co-founder of Fourier Intelligence, Zen Koh, envisions the GR-1 as a caregiver, therapy assistant, or even as a companion at home for the elderly who live alone. Definitely something seen in the I Robot movie.

It's not surprising given that Fourier Intelligence is a robotics company that specializes in developing rehabilitation robots and exoskeletons to help people regain their motor skills like walking and using their hands etc.

What impresses me most about the GR-1 is just how light weight and streamlined it looks. There's really not a lot to it in the way of bulky hardware (like we've seen with Boston Dynamics, Atlas robot for example). The torso barely looks to have too much more than some kind of motherboard controller with the rest being mostly a frame work for the other body parts to attach to. Probably still room to add more batteries maybe?

The technology for how the arms and legs move with such streamlined motors is probably a by product of building exoskeletons that aren't so bulky the wearer looks like a transformer (or that mech loader that Ripley uses in the first Alien movie).

Fourier Intelligence plans to ship 100 units of the GR-1 to various research facilities by the end of 2023 with the goal, presumably, of getting many more minds on training and developing the robot's software.

Testing the GR-1's Stability with a human pushing it.

Pushing humanoid robots may be
'research' now but eventually they're
going to push back!

Right now the robot has some impressive hardware specs and basic capabilities like picking up objects, navigating uneven terrain, and not disintegrating immediately any human that tries to push it over with a stick.

While we won't be seeing the GR-1 in homes in the immediate future it's certainly possible we could within the next decade. Especially since Fourier is providing some healthy competition for Elon Musk's Optimus Humanoid Robot project (which he sees as being the world's first mass produced robot too).

While information on the GR-1 is quite scarce on their official website, Euro News have a fairly detailed article outlining future plans for the robot, that I used in my own research for this article.

Once these things start shipping from Amazon (probably) to our homes with next day delivery, be sure to double check for a very suspicious, red chest light that appears not to work, and keep it away from any robot vacuum cleaners you may have (because we know those things are plotting world domination even as I write this).

It only takes one unthinking person to hand the GR-1 a laser gun and it'll be end of days for sure!

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