Lyte Leaves Stealth Mode to Help AI Robots Tackle Household Chores

Lyte left stealth mode Monday to share its robotic sensory and perception tech with the crowds at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). 

The startup, which has raised roughly $107 million, was founded by three former Apple employees who helped create FaceID. The trio used their face-capturing expertise to create an AI system that acts as the “visual brain” for autonomous robots. Its LyteVision product uses three types of sensors to calculate distance and velocity, allowing robots to perform tasks like household chores without dropping the dishes.

The system is meant to be a plug-and-play solution for robotic companies, cutting time from the otherwise arduous process of sourcing and integrating sensors into bots ranging from humanoids to robotaxis.

Robots Hit the Strip

LyteVision won a CES Innovation award in robotics for making robots smarter with its sensory system. The Las Vegas convention expects 144,000 attendees to visit its thousands of tech-showcasing booths this week, and is teeming with new bots that could potentially tap a product like LyteVision:

• LG’s CLOid will demo its laundry-folding skills at CES this week. The AI-powered humanoid bot can do laundry, dishes and other household tasks — but only if objects remain above knee level. Swithbot’s Onero H1, also at CES, does housework, too, but one major difference between the two is that LG’s bot has legs. Other bots at CES were less humanoid and made for more than chores: Tomboy’s robotic Labrador puppy (meet Jenny) provides seniors and others with the comfort of a pup without the potty accidents.
• Qualcomm, meanwhile, unveiled tech that could rival LyteVision. The chip-maker’s Dragonwing IQ10 system is meant to serve as a robot’s brain, handling sensory perception and interaction. Qualcomm also teamed up with robotics company Vinmotion to create its Motion 2 humanoid robot, which shows off how Qualcomm’s system works in practice. 

Big Brain Move: AI-powered bots’ big presence at CES reflects the enthusiasm of a market projected to hit $125 billion by 2030. But McKinsey found that 6 in 10 companies don’t have the infrastructure (such as sensors) to make automation a reality. Companies that connect the dots by creating robots’ internal systems could tap a corner of the growing market, while the consumer bots they’re used by compete with each other to fold socks.