Despite being rarely mentioned alongside companies like Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, Figure, and 1X, Sanctuary AI has actually been quietly working in the field of humanoid robots for quite some time. It is worth mentioning that the recently unveiled new robot is actually the seventh generation of its Phoenix series, which can be considered a major upgrade for the series.

Although the latest generation of Phoenix has added leg design, Sanctuary AI is still most concerned with the upper body of the robot. From the latest video released, this Canadian company focuses on showcasing the robot's motion capabilities in the torso and its learning speed when classifying products.

So far, most reports on humanoid robots have focused on their mechatronic characteristics, especially how these robots can walk smoothly in reality. The video released by Boston Dynamics is a good example, showing a lot of information in just a few seconds.

However, in the long run, the intelligence level of robots will play a crucial role in the development of these systems, and may even be more important than mechanical performance. Although the concept of "general intelligence" seems somewhat abstract, many robot experts generally believe that we still need at least 5 to 10 years to develop robots that can learn new tasks as quickly as human colleagues.

But this does not mean that current robot systems cannot learn quickly. For example, Sanctuary AI claims that its newly launched Phoenix robot can automate new tasks in less than 24 hours.

"The seventh generation robot is what we believe to be the closest available system to humans," proudly said Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO. "We believe that this is not only an important cornerstone for the development of general artificial intelligence robots, but also a key step towards artificial general intelligence, and we are excited to be leading in this area."

Of course, the time and accuracy required for robots to complete tasks will certainly vary depending on the task. In the demonstration, the tasks performed by the robot were relatively simple - separating objects of different colors in what seemed to be a structured and controlled environment. However, Sanctuary AI deserves praise for successfully deploying early systems in practical applications. The company recently announced a partnership agreement to introduce its system into Magna's automotive manufacturing facilities, further demonstrating its practicality and potential.

The seventh generation robot appeared just 12 months after the launch of its predecessor, bringing more improvements to the series. These improvements include longer operating time, a wider range of motion, lighter weight, and lower material costs, undoubtedly further enhancing its performance and efficiency in practical applications.