Dexterity Raises $95 Million to Develop ‘Physical AI’ for Robots

Dexterity raised $95 million in additional funding to accelerate its development of “Physical AI,” which it defines as artificial intelligence that powers robots to do physical tasks.

“Dexterity’s ‘AI of AIs’ approach leverages hundreds of Physical AI models to unlock the capability for robots to load trucks, singulate parcels and palletize for the world’s largest companies,” Dexterity said in a Tuesday (March 11) post on LinkedIn announcing the funding. “And we’re just getting started.”

The company said in the post that it aims to use the technology to enhance productivity and address labor shortages.

Dexterity’s Physical AI and robotics offerings feature robots with human-like dexterity, automation of repetitive tasks and complex manipulations in unpredictable environments, according to the company’s website .

These products have applications in logistics, warehousing and supply chain operations, per the site.

Lightspeed , which co-led Dexterity’s latest funding round with Sumitomo Corp. , said in a Tuesday post on LinkedIn that it has partnered with the company since its seed round in 2017 and continues to do so as Dexterity keeps “advancing AI-powered robotics to support efficiency, automation and decision making across industries.”

It was reported Feb. 14 that Figure was in talks with investors to raise $1.5 billion for its work in developing humanoid robots that it believes could be ready for use in homes in a few years.

In August, Figure unveiled its second-generation humanoid robot, Figure 02, saying the product’s dexterity and advanced AI enable it to perform “a wide range of tasks across commercial applications and, in the near future, the home.”

Also on Feb. 14, it was reported that Meta was forming a new team that will be devoted to developing AI-powered humanoid robots that can perform household chores as well as AI, sensors and software that could be used by a variety of companies manufacturing and selling robots.

On Feb. 13, Apptronik said it raised $350 million to help deploy its Apollo humanoid robot , scale operations and expand its staff to meet what it said is a surge in demand for AI-powered humanoid robots.

Apptronik said its new funding will allow it to fulfill growing orders from a range of industries, including automotive, electronics, third-party logistics, beverage bottling and fulfillment, and consumer packaged goods.

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