The Embodied AI

Figure AI, a Silicon Valley-based company, is pioneering the development of humanoid robots set to join the workforce in the coming years. Founded in 2020 by Brett Adcock, the company has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising robotics startups globally. In May 2023, the company raised $70 million in a Series A funding round, reflecting significant investor confidence in their vision. While the company’s exact valuation remains undisclosed, this substantial funding underscores its potential impact on the robotics industry. Strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and NVIDIA have further solidified Figure AI’s position at the forefront of integrating advanced AI and robotics technologies.

The Mission

Figure AI’s mission is clear: to deploy operational robots in warehouses, homes, and even space within the next few decades. The company aims to develop a general-purpose agent capable of learning, adapting, and interacting seamlessly with humans and the surrounding environment. Communication between multiple robots is also a fundamental skill they are cultivating, with efforts directed toward building fleet reasoning capabilities to maximize efficiency and output.

At the heart of Figure AI’s technological advancements is their latest humanoid robot, the Figure 01. This robot features human-like hardware, including human-scale hands designed for dexterous manipulation. Equipped with six RGB cameras, Figure 01 leverages high-performing perception AI models trained on synthetic data generated in NVIDIA’s simulator, Isaac Sim. This setup enables the robot to perform high-precision pick-and-place tasks required for smart manufacturing applications.

Partnerships with OpenAI enhance Figure 01’s language understanding and communication abilities through voice commands, adding to its library of human-like skills. These capabilities are crucial for interacting with unstructured and real-world environments, where adaptability and nuanced understanding are essential.

Future Prospects

The company’s endeavors are motivated by the escalating labor shortage and the increasing number of unsafe jobs—over 10 million in the U.S. alone. An aging population further challenges the sustainability of the economy. While automation is a key driver of progress, many jobs remain unautomated due to the lack of robots with advanced manipulation skills and reasoning capabilities. Figure AI aims to bridge this gap by providing robots capable of performing complex tasks in various settings.

Figure AI envisions revolutionizing a wide array of industries, from corporate labor roles and home assistance to elderly care and building new worlds on other planets. Their ambitious plans will likely commence in sectors experiencing the most severe labor shortages, such as manufacturing, shipping and logistics, and warehousing.

While Figure AI is well-positioned to integrate humanoid robots into the workforce, significant challenges remain. Developing robots that can genuinely adapt to unpredictable environments is a complex task requiring ongoing research and innovation. Limitations in current AI models, energy efficiency, and hardware durability pose hurdles that the company must overcome. Moreover, ethical considerations and societal acceptance of robots in daily life are factors that need careful navigation to ensure a harmonious human-robot collaboration. Yet, with a clear mission, cutting-edge technology, and strong industry aspirations, Figure AI is set to to make a substantial impact on the future of robotics.