Humanoid robot maker Figure has recently partnered with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI in an exciting new deal. The company secured a substantial $675 million funding round at a valuation of $2.6 billion, with support from influential backers including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, and AI chipmaker Nvidia. Despite not having released a viable commercial product yet, Figure aims to equip its future robots with language understanding capabilities using AI, enabling faster learning rates.
Figure showcased an early prototype robot, Figure 01, in a video demonstrating its ability to walk, pick up a plastic crate, and place it on a conveyor belt. Another video featured the robot successfully using a coffee machine, a feat deemed “groundbreaking” due to its end-to-end AI learning approach.
In collaboration with OpenAI, Figure intends to develop next-generation AI models for humanoid robots, enabling them to process and reason from language. However, Figure is not the only player in this field. Tesla is working on its own robot called Optimus, designed for tasks deemed unsafe or repetitive. Additionally, Agility Robotics aims to establish a factory producing thousands of bipedal robots
