Norwegian startup 1X Technologies has demonstrated that it is now possible for humanoid robots to perform several tasks in succession, responding to instructions spoken by humans.

The EVE bipedal robot now responds to natural language voice commands. In the example posted online by 1X Technologies, several of them are seen responding to various requests to tidy up an office. In this case, the robots perform one task after another according to what is asked of them, interacting with each other to optimise their performance.

The startup says that this video is not fake, and contains no remote operation, computer-generated images, cuts, video acceleration or scripted trajectory playback. The startup's aim is to eventually automate successive tasks without voice commands.

The video demonstrates that it is now possible to link together several autonomous robot skills in a single sequence. This paves the way for interesting prospects, where a human could coordinate the activity of several nearby robots simply by giving them verbal instructions.

This implies, however, that each robot would first have to be trained to perform these tasks. Still, an operator could potentially direct several robots using clear and natural language.

Note that 1X Technologies also has an office in California, where it is working with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, which has invested in the startup with the aim of one day developing a bipedal robot equipped with a form of intelligence never before seen in this kind of device.

 - AFP Relaxnews