Like Tesla, Figure initially presented its humanoid robot as a concept. The company revealed a render in March 2023, and came out of the gate with several ambitious promises. Already named Figure 01, the robot would be able to think, learn, speak, and apply itself to work across several suitable industries. These specs raised justified skepticism, especially considering Figure was founded in 2022 and is still a relatively new company. Nevertheless, the team comprises engineers with a strong background in robotics, including former employees of Tesla, Google DeepMind, and Boston Dynamics.
Figure has also put out realistic projections of their end product. It will take time for humanoid robots to be able to mimic the complex functionality of the human body, CTO Jerry Pratt told IEEE Spectrum, but the goal is to get as close as possible.
Furthermore, the company already has a working, and walking, prototype, within a year of its initial announcement. The company has also announced a partnership with ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, to use the company’s large language model to make its robot smart, interactive, and self-reliant. The goal is to create one robot for every human, and relieve humans of dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks across various industries.
Robotics still has a long way to go, but science fiction is becoming reality right before our eyes. Now that mankind has made giant leaps with space travel and slower, more mechanical strides with robotics, who’s to say flying cars aren’t next?
