Google Deepmind hires former Boston Dynamics CTO as company pulls deeper into robotics
Google DeepMind has hired Boston Dynamics’ Chief Technology Officer as the company shifts its focus to robotics. Aaron Saunders, who is responsible for providing the world with reverse gear and dance equipment, joined as VP of hardware engineering earlier this month.
Hire is an important part of CEO demis Hassabis’ Vision of Gemini to be a kind of robot application, similar to how Google offers its Android software to a range of smartphone manufacturers.
“You can think of it like Android gaming […] We want to create an AI system, the basis of Gemini, that can work almost out of the box, in any physical configuration, “said Hassabis in an interview with Wire.” Obviously humoids, but humanoids too. “
Boston Dynamics is famous for developing legged robots, including systems with four-legged dogs and humanoid machines, which can impress. Saunders worked on a six-legged prototype before being promoted to VP of engineering in 2018. He became CTO of Boston Dynamics in 2021.
Google Depmind has produced significant robotics research for years. As interest in advanced forms such as humanoids is growing, researchers are doubling down on developing AI models to control robotic hardware systems.
Hassabis said he was happy with this development. AI-enabled robots will have their breakthrough moment in the next few years, if I could predict,” he explained.
Boston Dynamics is majority owned by South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai bought its stake from Softbank, which acquired the company from Google’s parent company Alphabet in 2017.
The components and technology needed to build legged robots have become readily available in recent years. A number of US startups are now working on humanoids, including arigity robots, ai prototype, 1x, and tesla. Elon Musk recently said that his company aims to produce a million of its own humanoids in the next ten years.
Chinese companies are also taking strides in robotics, and, compared to the US, they are offering relatively cheap machines. Unitree, based in Hangzhou, China, recently acquired the power of Boston Dynamics as the largest supplier of four-legged systems for industries such as construction.
Hassabis admits to being impressed by unitree, but says the focus is more on software. “I am very interested in [AI] It’s part of the brain,” he said, adding that many of the capabilities of Google Depmind’s Flagship Model Gemini are well-suited for robotics.
