The Open-Source Robotics Startup That Caught OpenAI’s Eye

In the last year, dozens of new robotics startups have launched. One of them, a recent graduate of the Y Combinator accelerator, is trying to distinguish itself by developing open-source AI models and other software for the humanoid robots it plans to sell, an increasingly popular approach in the sector. 

The proposition has attracted backers—and some curious onlookers from OpenAI. 

The startup, K-Scale Labs, on Friday plans to release open-source software that other roboticists can use to train AI models for K-Scale’s robots, said co-founder Rui Xu. The one-year-old startup hopes the models will give the robots capabilities, helping them to walk in specific ways or execute certain dances or other moves, for instance. Some of those capabilities could then come pre-installed on the robots, which resemble a short blocky person with a miniature TV for a head, when the company starts shipping and selling them later this year, CEO Ben Bolte said.