Meta to start full-scale development of AI-equipped humanoid robots, forming a core technology development team within Reality Labs to focus mainly on 'housework'

Meta has reportedly decided to establish a new team within its VR division, Reality Labs, in February 2025 to begin full-scale development of AI-equipped humanoid robots. This project is not aimed at manufacturing its own brand of robots, but rather at building an industry-wide platform, with the aim of developing and providing AI, sensors, and software for robots manufactured and sold by other companies.

Meta Plans Major Investment Into AI-Powered Humanoid Robots - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-14/meta-plans-major-investment-into-ai-powered-humanoid-robots

Apple and Meta Are Set to Battle Over New Area: Humanoid Robots - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-02-16/apple-and-meta-are-set-to-battle-over-new-area-humanoid-robots-m77mwid3

The AI-equipped humanoid robot development team will be led by Mark Whitten, former CEO of Cruise, General Motors' self-driving car division. Whitten has previously held executive positions at Microsoft, Sonos, Unity, and Amazon, and the team will hire about 100 engineers by the end of this year.

Meta believes it can leverage its technological advantages, particularly the sensors and computing technologies it has developed for AR and VR, and the open source large-scale language model Llama, which it believes will be important foundations for robot development. In other words, Meta will focus on developing the foundational technologies for developing humanoid robots, rather than developing the robots themselves.

The company is already in talks with other robotics companies, and may consider manufacturing its own brand of robots in the future, but for now, its focus is on developing robot hardware to help with tasks around the home, such as folding laundry, carrying water, and cleaning up after dishes.

Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer at Meta, said, 'Reality Labs and AI are complementary technologies that will enable the advances we need in robotics. Meta recognizes that while city roads are relatively standardized, home layouts and environments vary greatly, making robots in the home a more complex challenge than self-driving cars.

Meta also places emphasis on the safety of robots, and is developing solutions to safety issues such as the risk of a human hand being caught in a robot's actuator or power failure during operation. At the time of writing, it is expected to take several years for humanoid robots to be put into practical use, but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to invest $65 billion (about 9.8 trillion yen) in related products, AI infrastructure, and robot development by 2025 as an important growth area for the future.

Meanwhile, Apple has also shown interest in the humanoid robot field and is considering entering the market with a unique approach to the company. Apple tends to prefer product development where it controls all aspects of hardware, software, and other elements in-house, and it is highly likely that the company will take a similar approach with humanoid robots.

Apple is already developing robotic arm technology, and in February 2025 it succeeded in developing a robot similar to a standing light that appears in the work of animation studio Pixar.

Apple develops a robot similar to Pixar's Stand Light, which moves in sync with hand movements and dances to music, and is highly rated by subjects as being 'human-like' - GIGAZINE

However, Apple has been criticized for lagging behind in the field of AI, which is a crucial element in robot development, and it is urgent for Apple to make up for its lag in this area.

The two companies are already competitors in the AR/VR headset market, but there is a growing possibility that new competition will develop in the field of humanoid robots in the future.