Phoenix

Phoenix is an advanced series of general-purpose humanoid robots developed by Sanctuary AI, a Vancouver-based Canadian robotics company founded in 2018. Initially unveiled in May 2023 as the sixth generation, Phoenix has rapidly evolved through multiple iterations, reaching the eighth generation by December 2024. Designed to address global labor shortages in industries such as manufacturing, logistics, automotive, retail, and utilities, Phoenix combines a human-like physical form with the Carbon™ AI control system, aiming to perform dull, dirty, or dangerous tasks autonomously alongside humans. Architecturally, Phoenix stands at 170 cm tall and weighs approximately 70 kg, with a maximum payload capacity of 25 kg. It features 75 degrees of freedom overall, including highly dexterous hands with 20 degrees of freedom, proprietary haptic technology mimicking human touch, and later integrations of advanced tactile sensors for slippage detection, blind picking, and precise force control. Early generations emphasized bipedal locomotion with a top speed of 5 km/h (walking at 4 km/h), but the eighth generation incorporates a wheeled base for enhanced stability and data capture efficiency, supporting a robust torso for industrial tasks. Actuation combines miniaturized hydraulics, electric motors, and possibly pneumatic elements for high power density and safety. The robot is sensor-rich, with upgraded depth and vision cameras offering expanded field of view and resolution, alongside improved audio, telemetry, and tactile sensing suites in later models. Runtime per charge is around 8 hours, with optimizations for uptime and reduced bill of materials in Gen7 and beyond. The core intelligence lies in Carbon™, a pioneering cognitive architecture that simulates human brain subsystems including memory, sight, sound, and touch. Carbon integrates modern AI technologies: large language models (LLMs) for general knowledge and natural language processing, symbolic and logical reasoning for explainable decision-making, deep learning, and reinforcement learning for motion and task planning. It enables photo-realistic simulations for sim-to-real transfer, human-in-the-loop teleoperation, fleet management, and rapid task learning—reducing automation time from weeks to under 24 hours in Gen7. Carbon translates natural language instructions into auditable reasoning, task, and motion plans, supporting agency, goal-seeking, and domain-specific extensions. Real-world deployment history began with the fifth generation's first commercial deployment in January 2023. The sixth generation demonstrated hundreds of tasks across over a dozen industries. Notable pilots include a 2024 collaboration with Accenture at a Mark’s retail store in Langley, BC, where Phoenix performed over 100 tasks such as merchandise packing, cleaning, tagging, labeling, and folding. Partnerships with Microsoft showcased Phoenix at Hannover Messe 2025, and expansions into automotive manufacturing highlight growing customer adoption in Canada, the US, and beyond. Gen7 (April 2024) and tactile sensor integrations (2024-2025) enhanced dexterity for in-hand manipulation and complex touch-driven tasks. The eighth generation focuses on high-quality behavioral data capture to further train Carbon, accelerating progress toward human-level general-purpose autonomy. Sanctuary AI's vertical integration—from custom motors to generative AI—positions Phoenix as a leader in embodied AI, with rapid iteration cycles (new generations every 8-12 months) and strong IP portfolio.