Never “Metabot” they didn’t like: Meta bets big on humanoid robots with software-first strategy

Meta is positioning humanoid robotics as its next “AR-size bet,” signaling a multi-billion dollar investment in the emerging field. CTO Andrew Bosworth revealed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg directed the creation of a dedicated robotics research team earlier this year, with the company developing its own humanoid robot called “Metabot” while planning to license its software platform to other manufacturers.

The big picture: Meta views software, not hardware, as the primary bottleneck preventing widespread humanoid robot adoption, focusing its efforts on solving complex manipulation tasks that current robots struggle with.

Key technical challenges: Bosworth emphasized that while robots can perform dynamic movements like running and flipping, they fail at delicate tasks requiring precision.

• “If you know robotics, one of the biggest problems that you have is dexterous manipulation,” Bosworth explained, demonstrating by picking up a glass of water.
• Current robots would “immediately crush it or spill all the water” when attempting similar tasks.
• The company is building datasets to create the “sensor loop” needed for humanoids to perform tasks like retrieving keys from a jeans pocket.

Software-first strategy: Rather than competing in hardware manufacturing, Meta plans to follow Google’s approach of licensing its platform to robot makers.

• “I don’t care about us being the hardware manufacturers,” Bosworth said, envisioning any company could use Meta’s software “as long as your robot meets these specs.”
• Meta’s Superintelligence AI lab, led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, is collaborating with the robotics team to build a “world model” for software simulation of dexterous hand movements.

Star-studded talent acquisition: The company has assembled a high-profile robotics team led by former Cruise CEO Marc Whitten.

• Meta hired Sangbae Kim from MIT, whom Bosworth called “the greatest tactical roboticist in the game right now.”
• The team includes Jinsong Yu, who architected software for Meta’s Orion AR glasses prototype, and 15-year company veteran Ning Li leading engineering.

Competitive positioning: Bosworth questioned Tesla’s data collection approach for its Optimus robot, contrasting it with Tesla’s self-driving strategy.

• “They’re like, ‘Look, we’re not doing LiDAR. Humans have figured this out with vision, and therefore, we can do it with enough data,'” he said.
• “I can see how Tesla cars are getting enough data. I can’t figure out how they’re going to get robotic data.”

What they’re saying: Bosworth downplayed the need for extremely complex dexterity, suggesting practical functionality over technical perfection.

• “I don’t think you need 23 degrees of freedom in your hand. Two thumbs would be nice. I only need two thumbs.”
• “We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t have the lab, if we didn’t think we were going to be building the models that could do it.”

Still evolving strategy: Meta continues evaluating hardware partnerships with companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm competing to provide silicon solutions for humanoid robots, indicating the strategy remains in development phases.