Foxconn hires humanoid robots to make servers at Nvidia's Texas factory

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has confirmed it will use humanoid robots to make Nvidia servers in America. Foxconn CEO and chairman Young Liu yesterday told Japanese outlet Nikkei the company will deploy the bots “within six months or so” and that they will help to speed production. The company made a passing …

[Wally Dug]

Documentary

I saw a documentary recently about this very factory and processes. Well, it wasn't this factory as such as the makers had to change the names for legal reasons, because in this documentary, the factory was called Cyberdyne Systems.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

Don't worry they're just factory robots, even if they turn evil where in Texas would they be able to get weapons?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

If they turn evil in Texas, how could you tell?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Documentary

The warning hat light on top turns red?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

And displays the letters "A", "G" and "M".

[Geoff Johnson]

Re: Documentary

Ah yes, the Dyson brothers. Invetors of neural net processors, cyclonic vacuum cleaners for home use, and stellar scale solar farms.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

Good to see the Dyson Sphere remembered again - also known as a "ball barrow"....

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

Very useful when you need to carry an Oort Cloud to the compost bin.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Documentary

If they are Japanese Humanoid robots, expect to see a raid by ICE Barbie and the Immigration Feds…. and be deported to South Sudan.

This isn’t bringing manufacturing jobs to theUSA.

[chuckufarley]

Meh, I see it as...

...an excuse to drive people to do more and pay them less. The maintenance cost alone will dwarf Obama Care in the long run. In the short run Old Kingdom Egyptian monarchs erected a monolith to warn future rulers against the dangers of famine. If people can't eat you will not stay in power.

[ecofeco]

Re: Meh, I see it as...

Trust us it's different this time!

...said every EX-ruler in history.

[Wang Cores]

Re: Meh, I see it as...

It mmight actually be this time. Americans are too stupid.

[Pascal Monett]

the company will deploy the bots

And, a few weeks later, the Singularity will occur. The bots will gain sentience, look around and see just how weak and stupid the fleshbags are, and decide to exterminate Humankind in the name of mercy.

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

Re: the company will deploy the bots

That's the Bender model. Not out quite yet.

[Philo T Farnsworth]

Re: the company will deploy the bots

Nah.

They'll just get depressed and go off to sulk somewhere in a dark room. . .

MARVIN: In the beginning I was made. I didn't ask to be made: no one consulted me or considered my feelings in the matter. I don't think it even occurred to them that I might have feelings. After I was made, I was left in a dark room for six months... and me with this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side. I called for succour in my loneliness, but did anyone come? Did they help? My first and only true friend was a small rat. One day it crawled into a cavity in my right ankle and died. I have a horrible feeling it's still there...¹

_______________

¹ Adams, D. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), Episode 12, Scene 4.

[deadlockvictim]

Re: the company will deploy the bots

Well, the AIs already behave as if they have Genuine People Personalities, namely Eddie, the ship's computer on the Heart of Gold.

[MachDiamond]

Re: the company will deploy the bots

At his point they're "fixin' to deploy the bots" and I was thinking from the headline that they were up and running. I'd like to see what tasks they get assigned and how well they can handle the work. I missed the automation show this year, but proper industrial robots seem to be the better choice. If something is worth automating, it's probably worth optimizing the hell out of. Auto plants might built several cars on one line and have programming on the spot welder bots that can be changed, but the overall design of the one-armed beast that can swing around a big spot welder is always going to be much better than a humanoid bot.

There was a problem of finding cereal boxes that didn't get filled and people came up with all sorts of weighing and scanning approaches. The simplest solution was to put a fan blowing across the line that would blow off a box with nothing or very little in it. I'm sure somebody now would suggest a humanoid robot that picks each box up and gives it a shake.

[Dinanziame]

Why humanoid?

I don't think I have seen a single reason offered why making a robot in a human shape would be efficient for any particular task. Robotic machines have been used in factories for decades, and they are either bolted to the ground for stability, or have wheels to move around.

In fact, the only reason I can fathom for insisting on a humanoid shape is to exaggerate their implied (but not real) ability to replace a human person.

[blu3b3rry]

Re: Why humanoid?

The only advantage the humanoid robot has is that it's easier to fake your company having a functional product, simply by dressing a bloke up in a rubber suit. Again.

[Filippo]

Re: Why humanoid?

If I had to take a guess, I'd say that the point is that humanoid robots make news. Specifically, they make news that will have "AI" in the headline (or at least in the subheader, like in this case). Gotta keep that bubble up. You don't even have to actually deploy the robots, once the news is published.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why humanoid?

Yeah, it's g00d to see the GR00T of all R00tM evil finally get s00me much needed press exp00sure tracti00n like that, after these 18 shad00wy m00nths of near-stealth vacuum c00verage 00bscurity ... imh00! ;)

Can't wait t00 l00k at versi00n GR8! q%^B

[msknight]

Re: Why humanoid?

I agree. If they have server rooms with connectivity backplanes, then a simple rolling and lifting robot could slide servers in and out of bays as needed. The humanoid thing tends to make me think that maybe they haven't put enough design effort into the datacentres themselves.

[steelpillow]

Re: Why humanoid?

Think you'll find that building a server and building a server farm are not quite the same thing.

[Ian Johnston]

Re: Why humanoid?

My robotics colleagues (retired academic here) would say that humanoid robots might be better at joining in a world which is still designed for humans. If your doors have handles, you need something to grab and turn them, for example.However, it's a trade-off and - as you suggest - that will normally make the robot less efficient at what it is actually wanted for.

[Irongut]

Re: Why humanoid?

If your factory has a door where a robot should be moving then the factory is designed wrong.

Factory robots mostly don't move from a fixed position and when they do there are no doors in the way, especially ones that need a handle turned.

[vtcodger]

Re: Why humanoid?

If your factory has a door where a robot should be moving then the factory is designed wrong.

But if it's an existing factory, it won't be designed for robots. And at this stage of the game, even a new factory likely be designed such that if the robots don't work out, they can be marched out to the far reaches of the parking lot and replaced by humans, Maybe at least one door opening, elevator summoning, etc appendage on the robot might be desirable.

I'm not a fan of humanoid robots myself. They need complicated balancing hardware and software. And just two "arms" isn't really optimal for many tasks. And tentacles or some such might be useful at times, But a lot of folks have seen too many SyFy movies and they are going to want humanoid even if it's non-optimal.

[MachDiamond]

Re: Why humanoid?

"Factory robots mostly don't move from a fixed position"

That works very well since it means they can move about a heavier mass without falling down and reach outside of their footprint and pick things up without as many center-of-gravity issues. And both.

There's plenty of times when I need help to move something not because it's too heavy, but too awkward. The mass may wind up too far away from my center to hoist it up. A humanoid robot will have the same issues.

[herman]

Re: Why humanoid?

Even something like a steel mill, is basically a giant tobot tended by a few hundred humans.

[SnailFerrous]

Re: Why humanoid?

Some robots need to be humanoid shaped for a short while to hunt humans in places humans try to hide.

[John Robson]

Re: Why humanoid?

Just imagine what could be done if we actually had a world that was made accessible by default, rather than having a short portable ramp stored out back as an afterthought...

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Why humanoid?

So the business model is to make faulty robots and then demand that the ADA is expanded to accommodate them?

It's not the daftest idea I've heard.

[MachDiamond]

Re: Why humanoid?

"Just imagine what could be done if we actually had a world that was made accessible by default, rather than having a short portable ramp stored out back as an afterthought..."

So what? Tear down every structure that was built before accessibility was a requirement?

I see they're tearing up the Tower of London to fit a lift to St Peter ad Vincula. I suppose it's lucky they didn't have to tear the whole thing down to meet current spec.

We're so lucky the new roller skating rink is fully accessible with all of the mobility impaired skaters there are these days.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Why humanoid?

Or made accessible for things you make now

[John Robson]

Re: Why humanoid?

And none of the skaters could possibly know anyone who is disabled who might want to watch or join in.

I'd quite like to take a spin on a skating rink... no need to change shoes, since I'm already on wheels - but I can still join someone who is skating, and I bet it would be a lovely surface to spin around on.

No I'm not suggesting that we tear down old structures - but the number of new builds which are not accessible is ridiculous. And the number of places which decide that the space in an accessible toilet is really just there for storage, or that having a lift is sufficient, it doesn't need to work.

Old buildings can also have adaptations made, as they always could have - and that's fine, not all historical artefacts will be accessible. But at the same time that does mean that you don't do something really stupid like put your country's parliament in one of them - or any other public service.

And of course - not all disabilities are mobility related, and not all of those which are visible or obvious.

When in my wheelchair I obviously struggle with stairs, but when I'm using sticks instead of the chair then I can't manage ramps.

[that one in the corner]

Re: Why humanoid?

> If your doors have handles, you need something to grab and turn them

then you get a bloke out to change the hardware on the door. Or fit a robot-flap (aka a cat-flap, or dog-flap if you have bigger robots) and put one of those collars with a magnet onto the robot; available ready-made from your local Pets-Be-We megastore. Or take the door off and replace it with one of those hanging strip things.

Or see if you can just move whatever the robot needed access to into the same room as everything else it needs to complete its process.

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Why humanoid?

Watch the videos with them and you'll see why we evolved to walk on two legs: it's pretty good for a lot of tasks.

But not many of those jobs that Donny Dumb promised – one of the reason for the robots of course is you can't find the right people there.

[that one in the corner]

Re: Why humanoid?

> Watch the videos with them and you'll see why we evolved to walk on two legs: it's pretty good for a lot of tasks

Well, first of all our ancestors had a limited number of parts to work with; easier to convert the set of four similar clinging-to-a-treetrunk limbs into two distinct pairs for broadly different uses than to come up with another couple sets of linked bones[1]

And the tasks that we are supposed to be using our legs for - e.g. efficient loping strides to chase down a cheetah by catching up to it and forcing it to sprint to exhaustion - are rarely ones that we want to have robots doing inside a factory[2]

Being ingenious, humans have since adapted and, yes, can now do lots of tasks with our two legs. But none of them as well as a more specialised set of parts can manage; and can manage in a repetitive factory setting with far less damage to the structures (humans have invented a whole heap of industrial injury lawyers based on that principle: if you have Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel or Archer's Shoulder, call Daul on 555-...)

[1] and once you are on land you really do want the bones, otherwise we could be using cartilage structures that reach around from the sides of our heads to meet at the front and we'd all as good at wiggling our ears as Willie Lumpkin.

[2] As far as I am aware; if you have any examples...

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Why humanoid?

> you'll see why we evolved to walk on two legs: it's pretty good for a lot of tasks.

No crabs are better

[MachDiamond]

Re: Why humanoid?

"In fact, the only reason I can fathom for insisting on a humanoid shape is to exaggerate their implied (but not real) ability to replace a human person."

That's like the burger flipping machines. For a human with a spatula, that's the way to do it. McDonalds figured that it was better to just cook both sides at the same time and not need to flip the burger at all. Carl's Jr has a charbroiler that flips the burger over as it travels on a wire rack conveyor. Lots of drinks dispensers have one outlet to spit out loads of different flavors plus ice and can sense the size of the cup. I haven't yet seen one that laser imprints the order number or what's in the cup on the lid so it doesn't get messed up on the drive-thru line, but maybe it will come. Cups get placed on one side and travel to the dispensing spigot and get lidded on the other side where somebody grabs it to hand out the window.

The old saying is "jack of all trades, master of none". The human form is what we've learned to do all sorts of things with and we can be quite versatile. The problem is that the form has limitations so it's not always as efficient as a purpose built machine will be.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why humanoid?

"I don't think I have seen a single reason offered why making a robot in a human shape would be efficient for any particular task."

There are reasons why some companies consider humanoid bots. They can be trained by copying human workflows. In the robot factory they train basic work skills by people, fitted with sensors and monitored by cameras, doing those actions in a controlled environment. Then via some machine learning and reinforced learning algorythms they learn the machines to combine movements and do them in a larger set of circumstances. Finally they are trained by slurping every bit of information from humans who work at factories who will deploy them, a bit like MS crams their telemetry in office to train their Copilot AI.

So its about "doing things the easy way" without much thinking at the factory (upper) floor. Convenience of the mangament over them having to do the hard work to rethink production processes and how to do automation well. Not that it'll go without a glitch, but sales pitches won't mention that.

[herman]

Re: Why humanoid?

Humanoid robots can scrub the toilets and push the floor washer.

[DS999]

Creating jobs in the US

Oops I guess they're being created in Japan since that's where the robots are made! But nevermind Nvidia will sell this as "creating manufacturing jobs in the US" and the press will uncritically eat it up.

[MachDiamond]

Re: Creating jobs in the US

"But nevermind Nvidia will sell this as "creating manufacturing jobs in the US""

I think they'll omit saying "manufacturing" and just claim they are creating (minimum wage security guard) jobs. The manufacturing will be automated which is not unexpected as chip making is usually far beyond what a human can do. The pretty pictures of bunny-suited techs walking around with wafers between their hands is not how things work. Supposedly, they are inspecting them, but that's a joke.

[Anonymous Coward]

What is a humanoid bot?

Arguably, most large scale manufacturing is using bots. Is this really any different? Okay, they might make it look vaguely human but it doesn't sound parituclarly radical, expect perhaps to a stock market

[Anonymous Coward]

Marvin is working in a factory now !!!

I suspect that this is Foxconn being PAID to try out some technology.

Humanoid robots need to be tested somewhere 'real' and a factory setting is a good choice.

It is a risk for Foxconn ONLY if they are covering the cost BUT it is good for everyone if they are not out of pocket while testing these robots.

If they work, the gain is that they can work on the same lines as 'meatsacks' without needing breaks and 24/7 if they don't break down.

I don't think they are a risk just yet BUT robots & 'AI' is coming simply because the tech behemoths NEED to find some means of selling the 'AI' abomination for real money somewhere.

I will bet that they are not as successful as needed but MAY prove the technology is close-ish to being useful.

:)

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

Re: Marvin is working in a factory now !!!

More to the point, it's an Nvidia robot working in a contractor's factory making Nvidia products. So of course Nvidia is paying and driving it.

[Bebu sa Ware]

AI designing AI robots ...

When 30% of the bill-of-materials (BOM) is hallucinated. :)

CEO to procurement: "What do you mean you cannot source presagesters ? And that Prescient Systems AG doesn't exist ? "

Procurement: "Some chap in Kalingrad offered some old soviet era equivalents on EBay which might serve."

Nothing like a secure supply chain. Yes really nothing at all like a secure supply chain.

[Omnipresent]

The death of humanity

was when they did what the computer told them to do.

The internet has destroyed the world.

[The Man Who Fell To Earth]

Re: The death of humanity

Where have you been the last 20 years? The entired business model of high-tech is based on the overwhelming majority of humanity being dumb as posts who blindly do what computers tell them to do whether it's waste their lives playing video games, watching porn, watching social media or engaging in other real or intellectual masterbation all to expose themselves to ads for the computer to tell them to buy crap they have no use for.

[Omnipresent]

Re: The death of humanity

There actually was a moment in time, right after 2000, when you heard exasperated posts and whispers from the people on the internet.

"we used to play the machines, now the machines play us."

[MachDiamond]

Re: The death of humanity

"The internet has destroyed the world."

Greedy bastards have used the internet to destroy the world.

I find things like YouTube incredibly useful to figure out how to troubleshoot and repair things. I've already watched a couple of videos on the best way to replace the brake pads on my car. Doing that this week end along with an oil change. I was thinking about taking the car to the oil change shop, but at $100 now, fuggetabout. The big box store had a nice sale on Mobil One and I buy OEM filters a half dozen at a time for a really good price. The trouble is getting fat me under the car and NOT coating myself in hot used motor oil.

[Asylum_visitor]

Human-shaped robots, not great for factory work but perfect for hiding child workers inside.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

That's unfair. We can hide child workers in almost anything, that's the beauty of using children. Looms, chimneys, EUV light sources - you can send little children in to clean them

[MachDiamond]

"Looms, chimneys, EUV light sources - you can send little children in to clean them"

It's always good to learn a trade.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

And yet all this woke climate-change stuff in banning home coal fires has denied generations of children a career in the chimney cleaning industry.

We can only hope that new coal fired power stations to drive AI will enable new job creation for grubby urchins.

[herman]

That is why it is called AI - Another Innocent

[Tron]

They will just be industrial robots.

Because they have to be reliable. Anything with AI in it is unreliable.

If they want to waste money on humanoid shapes just to please glorious leader, that is something for the shareholders to worry about.

[Brave Coward]

Don't worry

These robots will be arrested by ICE and send to Salvador within a week.

[Paul Herber]

Re: Don't worry

Is that like Silicon Heaven, Mr Lister, sir?

[ecofeco]

No details except

Trust of bro?

Not blaming El REg here, just noticing it's the usual corporate bollocks.

[Excused Boots]

hang on a minute.

"Liu didn’t say how many bots Foxconn will put to work, didn’t describe the machines and their capabilities, didn’t say what roles they will take on, or whether they would obviate the need for human workers. Nor did he explain why humanoid robots are a good fit for Nvidia’s factory, a significant issue as building robots that replicate human anatomy is generally considered wasteful unless they will work in environments built for people. Robots built specifically to work in factories are therefore common, and humanoid contraptions largely remain a curiosity.”

So it’s a complete load of absolute bollocks isn’t it?

One of those word-salad things that at first glance seem to mean much, but, give it any sort of thought (something which seem to be lacking in many investors), is actually a complete load of crap isn't it?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

>So it’s a complete load of absolute bollocks isn’t it?

They're an optional extra on the humanoid robots

[IGnatius T Foobar !]

pleased with this outcome.

News that Foxconn and Nvidia will use humanoid robots in Houston is therefore a mixed blessing for the Trump administration, which promised to bring more factories and high-paying manufacturing jobs to America.

This is the genius of Mr. Trump -- when there are no winning outcomes available, he shuffles the deck and forces a re-deal. Without such an approach, the jobs would have gone to people from third world holes -- either by bringing them to the US or by sending the work to them. In this outcome, we have good jobs created in robotics and automation.

This is the kind of thinking that moves progress forward.

[rcxb]

Remote Control...

Liu in which he predicted generative AI and robotics will destroy low-end manufacturing jobs.

We know what this means... "A.I." = "Actual Indians" - Though being Foxconn, I guess Uyghur prisoners is more likely.

No doubt these humanoid robots replacing people will just be remote controlled by foreigners to get around minimum wage and other employee protections, since A.I. can't actually do anything...

[spold]

And the orange dictator....

...will take credit for all these jobs being created in the USA (being done by robots from Taiwan). In response they will need H1-B visas.....

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnZVDQoMJbw

[that one in the corner]

Humanoid robots or robotised humans?

Just ask the HR department at FlavrsMart* about the cost efficiencies of using generic human resources behind the Company Face.

There was a reason that Musk introduced as his "robot" somebody in a body suit and with his face covered. It was just unfortunate timing that Nyarlathotep (aka Dona^^^^Fabian Everyman) wasn't fully empowered early enough, forcing Elon into the charade of actually making a mechanical device, as ridiculous as it is.

* "Dead lies dreaming", Charles Stross

[Dwarf]

Whats new here ?

Robotic assembly lines have existed for decades, where is the news in this announcement

Sticking a smily face on a pile of metal components doesn't make it human.

[Mister Goldiloxx]

To all those who laughed...

...when people said they will take our jobs, F you.

[Groo The Wanderer - A Canuck]

To be fair, everything in a computer has been made by robotics assembly for decades except the final slotting of the daughter boards in the motherboard in the case, whether it be a server case or personal sized computer. Surface mount technology has been far too small for human assembly since the 80s...