After years and years of promises, it seems that humanoid robots are about to reach homes. At least that is the intention of the company Fourier Intelligence Robotics, which has already finished its Fourier robot GR-1. It has opened pre-orders, and will begin shipping them in a matter of weeks.
Most humanoid robots are designed to work in factories, warehouses or offices. It is not the case of Fourier GR-1which has a much more laudable mission: help older people in their daily lives. Although we don’t know how much they will cost.
Quite intelligently, Fourier has realized that there are already many companies working on robots to work in factories and warehouses. But very few, in domestic robots. And the senior demographic continues to grow year after year.
Fourier GR-1, a robot for nursing homes
In the video that you can see at the opening of the news, twelve Fourier GR-1 robots, the first to leave the factory, perform a dance, imitating the Boston Dynamics robots.
They are much less agile, but they are not intended for doing stunts or working in a high-efficiency environment, surrounded by workers or machines.
Its function is much calmer, and the priorities are stability and control. The mission of the Fourier GR-1 is to help older people get out of a chair or bed, sit down, go to the bathroom, or carry heavy things. So we will see it in homes, but also in nursing homes and hospitals.
This domestic robot has a height of 1.65 meters, and a weight of only 55 Kilos. Even so is capable of lifting 50 kilos of weight.
Unfortunately, Fourier has not yet shown how he performs all of these tasks.. We have only seen him dancing, walking, or lifting boxes. But it is one thing to pick up an object, and quite another to lift a person from the chair, without hurting them.
Fourier GR-1 will have to compete with Optimus, Tesla’s butler robot, which is also designed to help at home, although it is focused on the whole family.
Domestic robots are about to reach homes. Fourier GR-1 will be the first, in a matter of weeks. A new era begins, we do not know where it will take us.
