Meta bought some help in its quest for humanoid robots (www.businessinsider.com)

Meta has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI), a San Diego-based startup focused on developing AI models for humanoid robots. This acquisition signifies Meta's intensified commitment to advancing its robotics initiatives as it joins a competitive landscape where several startups are innovating in robotic intelligence. ARI aims to enable robots to understand, predict, and adapt to human behaviors in complex environments, emphasizing high-precision dexterity and manipulation—key capabilities for practical robotic applications in both industrial and domestic settings. The founders of ARI, Xiaolong Wang and Lerrel Pinto, bring impressive academic and industry backgrounds, with Wang previously at Nvidia and Pinto a computer science professor at NYU. Their expertise positions ARI at the forefront of the robotics intelligence race, complementing Meta's robotics group established in 2025 and its ongoing efforts in AI hardware. By integrating ARI's advanced capabilities, Meta not only strengthens its robotics framework within its Reality Labs and Superintelligence Labs divisions but also aligns itself with a growing trend in AI where intelligence layers for robots take center stage, paving the way for more sophisticated human-robot interactions.