Google DeepMind’s new AI model can control a robot’s entire body

**Development:** Google DeepMind released Gemini Robotics 2, an AI model now capable of controlling the entire body of a humanoid robot—from feet to fingertips—rather than just the upper body. It also updated its embodied reasoning model (Gemini Robotics ER 2) and its on-device model for offline use. **Why it matters:** Whole-body coordination allows robots to perform more complex, real-world tasks like bending to pick up objects, walking, crouching, and manipulating items, marking progress toward broader physical assistance capabilities. **Key details:** Videos show an Apptronik Apollo 2 robot bending to grab a watering can and retrieving items from a shelf. The model supports more dexterous five-fingered hands, enabling tasks such as sealing a bag, tying a trash bag, or unscrewing a lightbulb. Gemini Robotics ER 2 can analyze surroundings, process instructions, track task start/end, and allow multiple robots of different types to collaborate. Google says this ER model is its safest yet, with improved human detection and automatic safe stops. The on-device model now adapts more quickly to robots with widely varying shapes, sensors, and degrees of freedom. The company notes that “f