Seeing Machines has launched a new “Physical AI Platform” it says is designed to help humanoid robots and industrial automation systems better understand people, behaviour and their surrounding environment.
The Canberra-founded company said it is extending its Human-Centred AI and human factors work from automotive safety into robotics, using experience gained from its Driver and Occupant Monitoring System technology, which it said is deployed in more than eight million vehicles globally.
According to the company, the new platform is intended to provide contextual awareness so robots can operate safely alongside people in environments such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, aged care, warehousing and mining.
Seeing Machines said the platform builds a dynamic three-dimensional perception map of people, objects and the environment, with the aim of enabling robots to interpret human behaviour, understand spatial relationships, anticipate risk and make decisions in real time.
Paul McGlone, Chief Executive Officer of Seeing Machines, said the release extends the company’s existing capabilities into robotics.
“For more than two decades, we’ve been teaching machines to understand people,” said McGlone.
“Our technology is already protecting millions of drivers around the world by enabling vehicles to better understand human behaviour and respond to risk in real time. With the launch of our Physical AI Platform we are extending that capability into robotics, enabling machines to interact with people safely, naturally and intuitively.
“As robots begin moving beyond research labs and into factories, workplaces, hospitals, homes and public spaces, understanding people and the environment they’re in becomes just as important as understanding the task they’re performing. We believe our Human-Centred AI design philosophy will extend into a foundational capability for the next generation of robotics,” he said.
Seeing Machines also positioned the platform as an alternative to systems focused on recognising individual objects or executing predefined tasks, arguing that interpreting people, objects and surroundings as a unified scene can improve situational awareness in dynamic environments.
The company said Chief Safety Officer Mike Lenne is available for interviews about the technology and the safety challenges associated with increased deployment of humanoid robots in workplaces and other real-world settings.
An online demo video of the Physical AI Platform was provided as part of the announcement.
