Building machines that think like people
With some of the greatest thinkers and innovators in AI and robotics, Sanctuary is on a mission to create the world’s first human-like intelligence in general-purpose robots at a time that is right to make it happen.

General-purpose versus special-purpose
While others are focused on developing special-purpose AI and special-purpose robots to address specific, narrowly defined, singular tasks or activities, at Sanctuary we are taking a much more general-purpose approach to both AI and robotics. We are developing an autonomous control system in software that mimics subsystems found in the human brain, such as memory, sight, sound, and touch. When this software is applied to a general-purpose system (as opposed to a single-purpose system), opportunities will exist to take on just about any human task. Solving profound safety and labor shortage issues is just the tip of the iceberg.

A tool for the expansion of human endeavors
The idea is to augment the human workforce and to make it safer. With human-like intelligence, Sanctuary general-purpose robots will work side by side with people in the following ways:
- Directly piloted by people
- Operated by people using pilot-assist
- Supervised by people while using the robot’s built-in autonomous control system to observe, assess, and act on tasks

The best of both worlds
Our work is unique. Leveraging a blend of symbolic and neural reasoning, our autonomous control system utilizes the best of both approaches to AI while mitigating the weaknesses of each. Put in another way, it is AI like it has never been done before.

Leveraging the technology of science fact, not fiction
At Sanctuary, we are breaking down the complexity of our mission into a more manageable set of individual challenges. After applying the right disciplines and advancements in software and hardware to each problem, we can then integrate solutions into an intelligent and human-like system whose time has finally come.

Work that’s safer, more efficient, and sustainable
What if you could get a job done from anywhere without having to be there in person? The vision is clear: our intelligent, human-like systems will enable work to be done without putting their human supervisors and pilots in harms way, making work safer, more efficient, and sustainable.
Many parts of the world are experiencing a profound labor shortage. Gaps in the workforce can be filled with human-like intelligence, which can help to sustain economies and propel humanity forward.
Video at top of page shows a Sanctuary general-purpose robot system under pilot control. Clips are real-time speed, edited for clarity.