VANCOUVER — Sanctuary AI has unveiled a new humanoid robot that it believes is the first in the world ready to be deployed in commercial settings to carry out tasks like cleaning, folding and packing goods.

“Our intent is to create the workforce of the future,” said Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO of the Vancouver-based company.

Hello, Phoenix: The five-foot seven-inches, 155-pound frame is powered by a platform that uses artificial intelligence to make Phoenix think, act and learn. “The AI system is the crown jewel of our technological stack,” said Rose. Phoenix is designed to care only about accomplishing work tasks. It doesn’t get bored. It doesn’t get tired.

The robot is intended to fill a labour gap, said Rose, as many industries now struggle to find enough workers. “It’s not taking jobs from people. It’s doing work that there are no people to do.”

Behind the scenes, a person will always supervise Phoenix. The ratio will change over time from the current state of a lot of people overseeing a few robots to a lot of robots commanded by a few people, he said.

Where to find it: Phoenix has already worked in a Mark’s store in Langley, B.C., in a week-long pilot with Mark’s parent company, Canadian Tire. Sanctuary chose to deploy it in a retail setting first because stores are “a microcosm of the human condition,” and the tasks completed there, such as cleaning, can be transferred easily into other settings.

Although Sanctuary hasn’t named any of its other partners, the firm is working with companies around the world in 15 industries, said Rose, including retail, defence, health care and logistics.

That’s not to say Phoenix can work in any setting. Rose accepts the robot’s limitations, including its lack of super-human strength and human-like empathy. That likely rules out manufacturing jobs that require the ability to move cars or nursing positions that depend on interpersonal skills.

The money: The company has raised more than $100 million so far, including $30 million from the Strategic Innovation Fund in November and a $75.5-million Series A in March 2022 from investors including Bell and Magna. Like all startups, Sanctuary is “raising money all the time,” said Rose. He declined to say how much cash it’s targeting, but its forthcoming Series B will be for “funding the initial growth phase” and getting Phoenix into the market.

What’s next: For Phoenix to be an even better worker, it needs to be able to move around with more ease indoors and outdoors. The current version of the robot sits on a wheeled platform, Rose said, so it makes sense to add legs. “There are certain kinds of work [for which] wheels are not good enough,” he said. There will also be less apparent tweaks, such as improving the robot’s vision, grasp and dexterity.