Nvidia Robotics Platform Boosted by Boston Dynamics, Siemens, Figure AI

Nvidia announced at Computex 2024 that leading robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, Siemens and Figure AI, are using its Isaac platform to develop and test next-generation industrial robots.

The Isaac platform features AI foundation models and simulation technologies optimized for use in robotics developments. 

It contains software solutions and simulation tools so robotics developers can design and test AI-enabled autonomous machines, including Nvidia’s new general-purpose foundation model for humanoid robots, Project GR00T.

At Computex, Nvidia announced more than a dozen robotics industry leaders have integrated Isaac’s library of solutions into their software frameworks and robot models to build industrial robotics applications for use in manufacturing sites and logistics centers.

The company also said more than 100 companies are using Isaac’s simulation software, Isaac Sim, including Spot developer Boston Dynamics and Figure AI, the OpenAI-backed company creating humanoid robots.

Isaac Sim lets robotics developers design and simulate robots and autonomous machines in a physically based virtual environment prior to deployment. 

“The era of robotics has arrived. Everything that moves will one day be autonomous,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and CEO. “We are working to accelerate generative physical AI by advancing the Nvidia robotics stack, including Omniverse for simulation applications, Project GR00T humanoid foundation models and the Jetson Thor robotics computer.”

Related:Nvidia CEO: Next Wave of AI Highlights Advances in Robotics

During his keynote, Huang said the next wave of AI will be physical and that all future factories will be robotic.

Nvidia’s Isaac suite contains tools to power industrial robots, including Perceptor which powers multi-camera capabilities, enabling robots to better understand their surroundings like a factory floor.

Early adopters of Nvidia’s Isaac robotics platform include Siemens which is leveraging Isaac's AI tools and simulation capabilities to develop advanced robotics skills like its SIMATIC Robot PickAI system for autonomous pick-and-pack operations.

“AI-powered robots will accelerate the digital transformation of industry and take over repetitive tasks that were previously impossible to automate so we can unlock human potential for more creative and valuable work,” said Roland Busch, Siemens’ president and CEO.

Nvidia announced it will be launching new robotics capabilities with Siemens later this year at the Smart Production Solutions Expo.

Another early user is Foxconn, one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world, which is using Isaac along with Nvidia’s Omniverse platform to create a simulation of an autonomous factory.

Related:Nvidia Launches Humanoid Robot Platform, Deployed in Disney Robots

Foxconn is using Nvidia Isaac and Omniverse to plan training and optimize operational layouts for robots on its factory floors.

Nvidia also announced that it’s jointly developing an accelerated computing center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan with Foxconn.

Chinese manufacturing powerhouse BYD Electronics is using Isaac to develop a full range of autonomous mobile robots for factory logistics, improving safety and efficiency.

“In collaboration with Nvidia, we have developed advanced autonomous mobile robots powered by Isaac that will improve worker safety, reduce production costs and enhance production intelligence for our customers,” said Chris Yotive, BYD’s senior business development director.

Another major early adopter is Intrinsic, the Alphabet subsidiary focused on industrial robotics. Intrinsic successfully tested Nvidia's Isaac Manipulator, demonstrating its potential for scalable robotic grasping skills across grippers and objects.

The companies recently showcased Nvidia’s Isaac Manipulator foundation models integrated into Intrinsic’s platform, which enabled a robot to seamlessly pick up and group objects.

“We couldn’t have found a better collaborator in Nvidia, who are helping to pave the way for foundation models to have a profound impact on industrial robotics,” said Wendy Tan White, CEO of Intrinsic. “As our teams work together on integrating Nvidia Isaac and Intrinsic’s platform, the potential value we can unlock for millions of developers and businesses is immense.”

Teradyne Robotics subsidiaries Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) are also integrating Isaac for next-gen collaborative robot solutions.

UR is integrating Isaac’s Manipulator feature into its cobot solutions. Manipulator is a reference workflow designed to power robotic arms, helping developers train bots to better understand and interact with their environments.

Other companies using Manipulator to train robotic arms include Japanese robotics firm Yaskawa, Techman Robot and Taiwanese-based Solomon.

MiR is also using Isaac Manipulator to generate synthetic data to train its AI-powered MiR1200 Pallet Jack, using the data to power simulations before real-world deployments.