Open-source Physics AI Simulator "Genesis"
#4 The Maker's Robotics Brief 12/23/2024
Active Club’s Newsletter brings you the latest news and trends in manufacturing, robotics, and cutting-edge technology.
🗞️ This Week in Robotics
Genesis: A Generative and Universal Physics Engine for Robotics and Beyond
A new open-source physics engine called "Genesis" has been unveiled. Developed by NVIDIA and academic researchers, this platform is designed for general-purpose robotics and physical AI applications.
Genesis features unique capabilities not found in other physics engines, such as native support for AI-driven data generation in natural language.
🐍 100% Python
👶 Easy installation & simple API design
🚀 Accelerated with parallel simulation
💥 Unified framework for diverse physical phenomena
📸 Photorealistic ray-tracing rendering
📐 Differentiable simulators
☝🏻 Physically accurate and differentiable tactile sensors
🌌 Generates a wide range of data in natural language
Genesis’s long-term mission was also highlighted. As someone who occasionally uses physics simulators but finds the learning curve steep, I resonate with its goals:
Lowering the barrier to using physics simulations and making robotics research accessible to everyone.
Unifying a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art physics solvers into a single framework, allowing re-creating the whole physical world in a virtual realm with the highest possible physical, visual and sensory fidelity, using the most advanced simulation techniques.
Minimizing human effort in collecting and generating data for robotics and other domains, letting the data flywheel spin on its own.
Within just two days of its GitHub repository launch, Genesis has already garnered over 12k stars, signaling high expectations.
Partnering with Nihon Kotsu and GO on our first international road trip
Waymo announced a collaboration with Nihon Kotsu and GO to conduct trial runs for autonomous taxis in Tokyo.
Starting in early 2025, Waymo’s autonomous driving system-equipped Jaguar EVs, "I-PACE," will be deployed in Tokyo.
The trial will begin with manual data collection, followed by autonomous driving tests, ensuring safety while improving technology and user experience.
Announcing 150M developers and a new free tier for GitHub Copilot in VS Code
GitHub has announced a free plan for GitHub Copilot on Visual Studio Code.
Previously, a $10 monthly subscription was required. With the new free tier for individual developers, basic features like real-time code suggestions are now accessible.
Apptronik Partners with Google DeepMind Robotics to Accelerate Advancement on AI-powered Humanoid Robots
Apptronik, an AI humanoid robot company, has announced a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind’s robotics team.
Apptronik’s humanoid robot "Apollo" is designed for early applications in manufacturing and logistics. It was tested on Mercedes-Benz’s production line in March.
Pudu Robotics Unveils PUDU D9: A Full-Sized Humanoid Robot Driving Commercially Viable Embodied Intelligence
Pudu Robotics has revealed its full-sized bipedal humanoid robot, PUDU D9.
Many may recognize Pudu Robotics from the cat robot "BellaBot," introduced in Japan’s Gusto restaurants. PUDU D9, designed under the philosophy of "Born to Serve," is a practical assistive robot centered around human needs.
Helm.ai upgrades generative AI model to enrich autonomous driving data
Helm.ai has unveiled "GenSim-2," an AI model designed for autonomous driving development.
GenSim-2 features AI-based video generation and editing capabilities, enabling adjustments in weather, lighting conditions, object appearances, and consistent multi-camera support.
This model allows automakers to efficiently and cost-effectively enhance datasets necessary for AI training, addressing challenging corner cases in autonomous driving development and validation.
💰 Funding news
Engineered Arts restructures with $10M to create humanoid robots
Engineered Arts has raised $10M in Series A funding, led by Helium-3 Ventures, with participation from AppDirect CEO Nicolas Desmarais and Belvoir Investments.
The company, established in 2004, has over 20 years of experience in humanoid robotics. You may recall their demo of "Ameca" two years ago.
The funds will be used to expand the availability of full-sized and desktop robots through cloud-based AI services.
$28M Raised to Drive 10x Speed & Safety
Slip Robotics announced a $28M Series B funding round, led by DCVC.
Slip Robotics develops large floor-like robots called "SlipBots" that transport pallets within warehouses. These robots replace forklifts operated by workers, reducing the time required for trailer loading.
Mantis Robotics Secures $5M to Redefine Robotics through Physical AI
Mantis Robotics has raised $5M in funding, led by Emerald Technology Ventures.
Mantis manufactures safe industrial robotic arms with built-in sensors and safety motion control technology, eliminating the need for external safety equipment like fences or laser barriers.
T-robotics Secures $5.4M Seed Funding and Applies AI to How Industrial Robots Understand, Learn, and Adapt to Complex Manufacturing Environments
T-robotics has raised $5.4M in seed funding, co-led by Emergent Ventures and Engine Ventures, with participation from Berkeley Skydeck and Raisewell.
T-Robotics’ software, "ActGPT," integrates with various robots, including arms and mobile units. It supports multi-modal data inputs such as vision, touch, and language to automate robot tasks.
Stay tuned for the next issue!