Recently we have heard the news about Google Pixel 8 Series including Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which is expected to launch soon. However, amidst all those Pixel phone rumors, the brand has been working on some more innovative products to make lives easier. Google DeepMind has introduced a new dimension to robotics known as the RoboCat. The RoboCat has the ability to perform various tasks through diverse robotic arms. Also, Google is working on a keyboard and stylus pen for its recently launched Pixel Tablet. Read on to know more about the products.
Google RoboCat
RoboCat comes with the ability to tackle and adjust to various tasks using different types of robots in real-world scenarios. Google DeepMind claims that something like this has never happened before in robotics.
Via its official post, DeepMind said that most robots are programmed to perform specific tasks but with advances in AI, robots will be able to do almost everything a human can do. The progress in general-purpose robots is slow due to the time consumed in gathering real-world training data.
“RoboCat is a foundation agent for robotic manipulation as such it can perform many tasks with multiple robot types and it can adapt quickly to previously unseen types of robots and skills. We can communicate a task we want RoboCat to perform on any robot by showing it a desired configuration of the object to one of the cameras- this becomes the agent’s goal”, DeepMind said in its demo video.
RoboCat is a self-improving AI agent for robotics which learns to perform a wide range of tasks across different arms and then generates new training data on its own to improve itself. Google DeepMind asserts that RoboCat is the first agent to perform and adapt to multiple tasks and to do the same across different real robots. It learns at a much faster rate than other models and can learn a new task with as few as 100 demonstrations as it draws heavily from a diverse dataset.
It is based on Google DeepMind’s multimodal model Gato which can process language, images, and actions from simulated and physical environments. Google infused Gato’s architecture with a large training dataset which is sequences of actions and images of various robot arms that are solving hundreds of tasks. After this round, Google launched RoboCat into a self-improvement training cycle with a set of unseen tasks, and the learning of the new tasks took place in 5 steps.
Basically, RoboCat is an agent that is a visual goal-conditioned decision transformer that has been trained on video clips of hundreds of tasks being done. The best thing about RoboCat is that it continues to learn and improve itself with each new task. The first model had a success rate of 36% on previously unseen tasks after 500 demos. After learning more tasks, the success rate doubled and this its versatility, adaptability, and multimodal capabilities can have significant benefits in the field of robotics.
Keyboard & Stylus Pen for Pixel Tablet
Google is reportedly working on two main accessories needed with a Tablet- keyboard and a stylus pen. The URL of Pixel’s Retail Demo App hints towards a keyboard and pen for the Pixel Tablet being in development. This app is used in stores to lock down display devices and to show its various features, as claimed by Android Authority.
In the latest version of the app, a developer has found strings for “Keyboard for Pixel Tablet” and “Pen for Pixel Tablet”. At present there is no other evidence to back this up, but since it has been spotted on the Google app, it is most likely to be true. It would make perfect sense as Pixel Tablet was launched recently and adding a keyboard and pen would make it more functional. There is no word on when the accessories will launch so we will have to wait for Google to officially announce it.
Currently, Pixel Tablet comes with a charging dock that doubles as a speaker too. When attached to the dock, the tablet works as a smart display and can control all home devices. Google Pixel Tablet is powered by Google Tensor 2 chipset and features a 10.95-inch WQXGA display. It has an 8MP rear camera and runs Android 13 OS out of the box. The Tablet packs a 27Wh battery with 15W charging.
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