OpenAI-backed startup Figure teases new humanoid robot

The race to get AI-driven humanoid robots into homes and workplaces around the world took a new twist today when Figure, a company backed by OpenAI among others to the tune of $675 million in its last round in February, today published a trailer video for its newest model: Figure 02, along with the date of August 6, 2024.

As you’ll see in the video, it is short on specifics but heavy on vibes and close-ups, showing views of what appear to be robotic joints and limbs as well as some interesting, possibly flexible mesh designs for the robot body and labels for torque ratings up to 150Nm (Newton-meters, or “the torque produced by a force of one newton applied perpendicularly to the end of a one-meter long lever arm” according to Google’s AI Overview) and “ROM”, which I take to be “range of motion” up to 195 degrees (out of a total 360).

Founder Brett Adcock also posted on his personal X/Twitter account that Figure 02 was “the most advanced humanoid robot on the planet.”

Backed by big names in tech and AI

Adcock, an entrepreneur who previously founded far-out startups Archer Aviation and hiring marketplace Vettery, established Figure AI in 2022.

In March 2023, Figure emerged from stealth mode to introduce Figure 01, a general-purpose humanoid robot designed to address global labor shortages by performing tasks in various industries such as manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail.

With a team of 40 industry experts, including Dr. Jerry Pratt as CTO, Figure AI completed the humanoid’s full-scale build in just six months. Adcock envisions the robots enhancing productivity and safety by taking on unsafe and undesirable jobs, ultimately contributing to a more automated and efficient future, while maintaining that they will never be weaponized.

The company, which in addition to OpenAI has among its investors and backers NVidia, Microsoft,  Intel Capital and Bezos Expeditions (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s private fund), inked a deal with BMW Manufacturing earlier this year and showed off impressive integrations with OpenAI’s GPT-4V or vision model prior inside Figure’s 01 robot, prior to the release of OpenAI’s new flagship GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini.

Presumably, Figure 02 will have one of these newer OpenAI models guiding its movements and interaction, one of the leading names.

Competition to crack humanoid robotics intensifies

Figure has been a little quiet of late even as other companies debut and show off designs for AI-infused humanoid robots that they hope will assist humans in settings such as warehouses, factories, industrial plants, fulfillment centers, retirement homes, retail outlets, healthcare facilities, and of course, private homes as well.

Though humanoid robots have long been a dream in sci-fi stories, their debut as commercial products has been slow going and marred by expensive designs confined primarily to research settings. But that’s changing thanks to generative AI and more specifically, large language models (LLMs) and multimodal AI models that can quickly analyze live video and audio inputs and respond with humanlike audio and movements of their own.

Indeed, recently, billionaire multi-company owner Elon Musk stated with his typical boisterous bravado and ambitious goal setting, that there was a market for more than 10 billion humanoid robots on Earth (more than one for every person) — which he hoped to command or at least take a slice of with his electric automotive and AI company Tesla Motors (which is making a rival humanoid robot of its own to Figure called Tesla Optimus).

Moreover, Nvidia showed off new improvements for training the AI that guides humanoid robots through its Project GR00T effort using Apple Vision Pro headsets worn by human tele-operators to guide the robots through correct motions:

And prior to that, early humanoid robotics pioneer Boston Dynamics previewed its own updated version of its Atlas humanoid robot with electric motors replacing its hydraulic actuators, presumably making for a cheaper, quieter, more reliable and sturdier bot.

Thus, the competition in the sector appears to be intensifying. But with such big backers and forward momentum, Figure seems well-poised to continue advancing its own efforts in the space.