Ensen Huang Introduces Project GR00T: Advancing Humanoid Robotics

Project GR00T, or Generalist Robot 00 Technology, was unveiled by AI chip pioneer Nvidia on Tuesday, March 19. It is aimed at revolutionizing the development of humanoid robots.

The project's goal is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide humanoid robots with human-like comprehension and mobility.

Nvidia made their announcement shortly after Figure AI, another AI robotics startup, unveiled Figure 01, a humanoid robot. By ChatGPT. In addition to helping with chores like tidying up and transferring items, Figure 01 can follow directions.

Project GR00T: What is it?

In essence, Project GR00T is a general-purpose foundation model for robots that resemble humans.

Leading the charge in Nvidia's endeavors to propel advancements in robotics and embodied artificial intelligence (AI)—that is, intelligent systems that can interact with and learn from their physical surroundings—are robots and virtual assistants.

Generalist Robot 00 Technology is the abbreviation for Project GR00T. This platform enables robots to mimic human movements and comprehend natural language, allowing them to quickly pick up coordination, dexterity, and other abilities.

This can facilitate the robots' interaction with and navigation of the physical environment.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang showed off recordings of these robots doing a range of duties during his keynote speech at the recently concluded GPU Technology Conference (GTC).

According to Huang, "one of the most exciting problems to solve in AI today" is creating foundation models for generic humanoid robots.

How was its training done?

The humanoids can learn from human demonstrations through imitation learning and reinforcement learning using the robotics platform NVIDIA Isaac Lab thanks to the model, which was developed on NVIDIA GPU-accelerated simulation.

Imitation learning is watching a professional execute a task and then learning to mimic those actions; reinforcement learning, on the other hand, is a machine learning technique that teaches software to make decisions based on what will provide the best outcomes.

Simply said, Project GR00T is a multimodal artificial intelligence system that serves as the brains of humanoid robots, enabling them to acquire new abilities and engage with their surroundings.

GR00T is reportedly being utilized by renowned robotics companies such as Unitree, Figure, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, Agility Robotics, Sanctuary AI, and Nvidia.

What else does Nvidia offer in the robotics space?

Along with Project GR00T, the firm also improved Isaac with the inclusion of multi-camera 3D vision using Isaac Manipulator and Isaac Perceptor. Manipulator aids in manipulating items in the robot's surroundings, while Perceptor aids in "perception," as the names imply.

Project GR00T, to put it simply, is a multimodal artificial intelligence system that functions as the brains of humanoid robots, giving them the ability to learn new skills and interact with their environment.

GR00T is purportedly being used by such well-known robotics firms as Nvidia, Unitree, Figure, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, Agility Robotics, and Sanctuary AI.

In terms of robots, what more does Nvidia provide?

By incorporating multi-camera 3D vision with Isaac Manipulator and Isaac Perceptor, the company enhanced Isaac in addition to Project GR00T.

As the names suggest, the Manipulator helps the robot manipulate objects in its environment, while the Perceptor helps it "perceive."