Meta $META acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup building AI models for robots, as part of an effort to develop humanoid technology. The deal closed Friday, Meta said. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The startup's team, including co-founders Lerrel Pinto and Xiaolong Wang, will join Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company's AI research division. From there, the group will work with Meta Robotics Studio, a team launched last year focused on underlying technology for humanoid robots.
In characterizing the acquisition, Meta $META said the startup's work centers on equipping robots to interpret and respond to human behavior across unpredictable, real-world conditions — territory the company called the frontier of robotic intelligence. The acquired team had been concentrated in San Diego and New York. A Meta spokesperson said the incoming team is expected to advance the company's capabilities in areas including model architecture, robot control systems, and self-learning techniques as they apply to full-body humanoid platforms.