TOP BIT
Weāve already pre-ordered a household robot and named it āAlfred.ā
TikTok owner ByteDance has unveiled the visionālanguageāaction model GR 3, which teaches its prototype robot ByteMini everydayālanguage commands and enables it to independently hang laundry or clear a table.
At the same time, the company is recruiting dozens of new specialists for robotics and āembodied AI.ā
The Details
š¤Ā GR 3 System: The model links vision, language, and action. It understands size specifications and positions, then immediately executes them.
šĀ Mass Production: Over 1,000 mobile logistics robots are already operating in ByteDance warehouses, autonomously transporting packages and collecting valuable training data.
š¼Ā New Job Surge: The seed division is creating roles for robotics algorithms and hardware development. Multiple job postings hint at an upcoming universalārobot product.
šŗšøĀ Regulatory Hedge: As TikTok faces a forcedāsale threat in the US, ByteDance is developing a separate US app and expanding its AI expertise primarily in China.
Why It Matters
Technology Diversification: ByteDance is evolving from a video network into a comprehensive AI hardware provider.
Regulatory Lifeline: A robust robotics business in China could offset potential losses if TikTok is divested in the US.
Competitive Pressure: Advances in embodied AI intensify the race with Tesla, Alibaba, and Meta for the future standard in household and service robotics.
Background
ByteDance funds its robotics arm largely from Douyin and TikTok revenues, emphasizing tight integration of software and hardware. GR 3 combines vast multimodal datasets with recorded grasping motions so machines can semantically interpret real-world scenes rather than rely on floor markers.
Logistics centers serve as ideal testing grounds to amass sensor data and rapidly refine models. Every new deployment builds experience toward a future consumer robot that can learn autonomously and handle diverse tasks.
šĀ All Data & Details:Ā SCMP, LatePost
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