Faraday Future, known for its electric cars, unveiled two humanoid robots on 15 October with its sister company FF EAI Robotics Ecosystem, known as FFR. The first, the FF Nova, is listed at $2,490 and targets developers, universities and schools. The second, the FF Nova Mini, costs $299 and is aimed at children. The two companies made the announcement in a joint press release.
Faraday Future and FFR describe the Nova as the first embodied AI humanoid robot sold in the United States for under $2,500. Embodied AI refers to artificial intelligence that controls a physical body. The claim comes from the manufacturer and has not been independently verified.
FF Nova specs: 20 joints, 49.7 cm tall and a detachable wheeled base
According to the two companies, the Nova has 20 degrees of freedom, meaning 20 moving joints. It can walk, wave and get back up after being knocked over. It can also move around on a detachable wheeled base. Its product sheet, cited by Unite.AI, gives a height of 49.7 cm and a weight of 2.8 kg.
A software pack for developers costs an extra $390. The Nova supports ROS 2, a widely used software framework in robotics. The companies also offer a training programme built on Nvidia’s Isaac platform, which lets users teach the robot movements in simulation before testing them on the machine. Nvidia offers the same tools to other humanoid robot makers.
FF Nova release: three-phase rollout, 20 units ready to ship
The Nova will be released in three stages. The first is limited to 100 units reserved for invited developers and schools, 20 of which are ready to ship. A wider sale to developers and then a consumer launch will follow, with no dates announced.
The Nova Mini weighs less than a kilo and is aimed at children aged eight and up. It walks, gets up on its own, performs a forward roll and can be programmed with blocks. Faraday Future also sells a 16-session live online course for $499, with buyers receiving a voucher redeemable against the robot.
FFR’s $200 million acquisition of Faraday Future’s robotics business
“The launch of the FF Nova and FF Nova Mini is an important milestone for FFR, taking physical AI from the lab to real-world applications,” said Jerry Wang, chief executive of FFR.
The announcement comes a few days after a deal under which FFR is acquiring Faraday Future’s robotics business in an all-stock transaction valued at around $200 million. Once the deal closes, which the two companies expect by the end of October, Faraday Future would own about 65.7% of FFR. FFR was called AIxCrypto Holdings until 30 September. Faraday Future began its shift towards robotics earlier this year. Its robotics unit had delivered 817 units by the end of September, according to Investing.com.
The two companies have not said whether the FF Nova or the FF Nova Mini will be offered in Europe.