Instawork launches wearable robot data system in India

Instawork Robotics Lab has launched its Instacore wearable data collection system in India. The device is designed to gather training data for general-purpose robots and physical AI models.

The system is aimed at commercial settings such as kitchens, warehouses, hotels and manufacturing facilities, where workers can wear it during normal shifts.

Instacore is a five-camera hardware setup that records real-world tasks as people work. It includes head-, chest- and wrist-mounted cameras linked to a backpack computer designed to last a full shift.

According to Instawork, the head camera provides stereo imaging for depth perception at arm's length, while a wide-angle chest camera captures the surrounding workspace. Wrist cameras and motion sensors track hand position and angle, which can then be translated into robot joint training data.

The launch marks a push by Instawork to build robotics and AI data operations in India, drawing on local engineering and technology talent. Founded in 2015, the business runs a labour marketplace in the United States and Canada and says it has connected more than 10 million workers with flexible jobs.

Data shortage

Instawork argues that robotics developers face a shortage of large-scale, varied physical task data gathered outside controlled lab settings. Current industry volumes remain far below what researchers believe is needed to train robots to handle a broad range of practical work.

It cited industry estimates showing that roughly 100,000 hours of robot training data were collected in 2024, rising to about one million hours in 2025 and projected to reach 20 million hours in 2026. Even at that level, Instawork said, the total would still amount to less than 0.04% of the data researchers think is ultimately needed.

Its pitch is that India offers a wide mix of workplaces, tools and operating conditions that could help fill that gap. Businesses taking part in data collection are paid for each hour captured, with no upfront hardware costs and no disruption to regular work.

A central part of the model is the use of existing workplaces rather than purpose-built testing sites. Instawork said the system was developed with robotics partners and workers who tested several versions in homes and commercial settings so it could be worn for an entire shift.

That approach reflects a wider trend in robotics, as companies seek more realistic datasets to improve how machines perform in unstructured environments. Training robots in warehouses, hotel kitchens or workshops can expose AI models to more variation than lab-based recording alone.

Commenting on the rationale for the launch, Siddharth Srivastava, Head of the Instawork Robotics Lab, APAC, said: "Compute isn't the bottleneck in physical AI anymore. The scale and diversity of real-world skill data is. Instacore is light enough that workers wear it through full shifts, capturing synchronized camera and sensor streams from kitchens, warehouses, and workshops across India, where the task, the tool, and the environment change every fifty kilometres. That variance is what frontier labs are asking for and need."

Worker income

Instawork said the project is also intended to create an additional source of income for workers and host businesses. The company described the system as a way for commercial operators and their staff to contribute to AI data generation while continuing their normal tasks.

The wearable system was conceptualised and manufactured by Instawork's robotics lab, which is linking the robotics sector with the company's network of workers. In practical terms, that gives robotics developers access to human task data captured across a range of operating conditions and job types.

Instawork sees this as part of a broader labour market shift around physical AI. As investment in robotics rises, companies will need more annotated and structured information on how skilled workers move, handle tools and complete routine operations in changing environments.

Industry forecasts underline the commercial interest. Instawork cited Goldman Sachs projections that the humanoid robot market could reach USD $38 billion by 2035. It also pointed to Grand View Research estimates that the global data collection and labelling market could reach USD $17 billion by 2030, alongside Deloitte's view that nearly 2 million skilled physical AI jobs could go unfilled by 2030.

In India, Instawork is positioning the launch as both a technology and employment initiative. It said the system gives local businesses and hourly workers a way to take part in AI-related work without changing their day-to-day operations.

Addressing that strategy, Vaibhav Pandey, General Manager of Instawork India, said: "At Instawork, our overarching mission is to create economic opportunities for local businesses and hourly workers across the globe. With Instacore, we're giving businesses and their employees a completely new way to participate in India's AI economy without disrupting daily operations."