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Google DeepMind is building a robotics hardware lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to turn its AI and robotics research into machines that can act in the physical world. The plan pairs a new facility with a senior hire from Boston Dynamics, putting more of the company’s robotics work close to the people and workshops that make it possible.

What happened Hoodline reports, citing The Boston Globe, that Google DeepMind is assembling a team to develop hardware based on its AI and robotics research. Aaron Saunders, who joined from Boston Dynamics, where he was chief technology officer, is leading the effort as Google DeepMind’s vice-president of embodied systems and robotics. The team is expected to include machinists, engineers and researchers. Saunders has hinted that the lab could open in 2027, but the report gives no confirmed location within Cambridge, facility size or opening date. It is also unclear whether DeepMind plans to build its own robots or work with hardware partners. Why it matters

Discuss: Should DeepMind build its own robots, or focus on making its AI work across machines made by others?

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