JAKARTA - A humanoid robotics startup co-founded by well-known AI futurist Ray Kurzweil announced on Tuesday May 20 that venture capital firm Gagatet Ventures will support a $100 million Series B funding round.
The company, named Beyond Imagination, will have a valuation of $500 million, and the Dresslet Ventures will be the only investor in funding this time.
Ray Kurzweil is widely known for popularizing the term "singularity", namely the prediction that by 2045 artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence and accelerate its own upgrade capabilities. The idea that used to be considered science fiction is now becoming accepted as mainstream among technologists.
The startup was co-founded by scientist, entrepreneur and filmmaker Harry Kloor. Beyond Imagination has developed a humanoid robot named Beyond Bot as well as a companion AI model to be used in industrial environments such as factories, pharmaceutical facilities, and semiconductor factories, according to Oliver Carmack, co-founder of Gagatelet Ventures.
Carmack menyatakan bahwa Beyond Imagination sedang dalam tahap uji coba robot mereka dan kini mencari perusahaan besar untuk menerapkan teknologinya. Ia memutuskan untuk mendukung startup ini karena potensinya dalam merevolusi sektor manufaktur AS serta mengatasi kekurangan tenaga kerja kual yang diproyeksiksikan secara global.
A number of big tech companies such as Nvidia, Meta Platforms, and Tesla, as well as various other startups, are vying to create humanoid robots. They believe that the latest AI advances will bring breakthroughs in robotics and automation. In October 2024, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that there has been "a lot of progress" in Tesla's humanoid robot project, Optimus, which is targeted to be able to work on various daily tasks.
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However, advances in robot development are still slow. Researchers found that AI breakthroughs in the language field (such as on chatbots) did not necessarily help the robot's understanding of the physical world. Many companies are now pouring large funds to collect real-world data to train models that can drive robots effectively.
In addition to humanoid robots, Beyond Imagination is also developing a system called Aura, which Klor describes as a universal operating system for intelligent manufacturing, which allows collaboration between humans, robots, and old machines.
The startup also attracted a number of well-known advisers, including former Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and former chairman of Paramount Pictures, Jim Giranopulos.
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