Goal of Figure: to develop general purpose humanoids that make a positive impact on humanity
It seems like yesterday that I was writing an article about an agent who could write full stack code through and through with just a single prompt that scared to take away software engineering jobs forever,well it was yesterday and what's not so surprising is that now physical labor workers are next, the preemptive notion of 'robots-could-never-do-this' jobs like warehouse work or construction has just been shattered and gulped up by a company named Figure when they introduced Figure 01 the humanoid robot poised to shake up manual labor industry.
Relevance of Figure 01 in current scenario
We are rapidly moving in a direction where the world is filled with agents,whether they be software or physical. From software development to construction work , more and more emphasis is being given to the potential of human mind's consciousness and its creativity so the trend will lean towards (as it is already) offloading any and every repetitive or labor intensive task to an agent , few of the competitors Figure 01 goes head to head with.
Atlas: Everyone's favorite back-flipping bot is designed by Boston Dynamics for research, not practicality in its current iteration. Atlas' next iteration could be the silent killer as they have been in this space for a long time and even though they might not have the most refined product now many industry experts believe they aren't that far behind.
Warehouse Robots: Existing warehouse robots are highly specialized – think conveyor belts and programmed arms but these are what one might call rigid bots if put in a new environment they lack the ability to adapt to rigorous changes in their working environment and most of the time they aren't mobile at all(i.e they are physically locked in a particular spot due to the supporting apparatus).
Agility Robotics' Digit: This bipedal robot leans towards commercial applications like warehouse and logistics environments. While similar to Figure 01's purpose, Digit is less about fine-tuned hand manipulation and more on whole-body movement and package handling.
Optimus: Elon Musk's vision for Tesla Optimus emphasizes affordability and mass production. If successful, it could be a major player, but for now, it still remains under covers away from public access.
What stands out with Figure 01
Dexterity: Think human-like hands, not just clunky robot grippers. Figure 01 is meant to manipulate objects and use tools the way we do, (similar traits were demonstrated by Tesla's Optimus Gen 2 model). High level of finger dexterity could be observed across multiple videos as show in their demos.
Adaptability: It doesn't just perform pre-programmed routines. Visual AI models, coupled with cameras and sensors, lets Figure 01 tackle new environments and unusual tasks.
Active Learning: The focus is on continual improvement. Like a human worker, it gets better and more efficient with experience. As is demoed the Figure 01 was actively correcting itself after taking a wrong course of action while preparing coffee in the video .
Why This Matters
Job Shifts: Automation in warehouses, factories, and farms is already a huge topic not just because of cost cutting, but also because of how monotonous & repetitive it is and how replacing humans would save both time & money . Figure 01 signals a level-up in what robots can physically handle, potentially displacing more in less time.
Skills: It's not just about losing jobs, it's about needing new skills. If robots do the manual stuff, how do human workers move to higher-value roles? We need new frameworks on building a better system which teaches us to bring coherence between these robots as outsourcing the physical labor intensive and risky jobs and humans to do the heavy lifting on the problem solving aspect of things -
the mental labor.Cost: These robots aren't cheap. Companies will weigh the cost of a robot workforce compared to the rising cost of human labor but sooner rather than later mass production and the service charges of these robots will undercut manual human labor and when that threshold is met , a drastic shift will be observed in many parts of the world especially in China , South America and South-East Asian markets
And to top it all off , it is powered by OpenAI models for conversations and interaction (both verbal & visual).
Figure 01 isn't about robots replacing everyone overnight. However, it highlights the urgent need to adapt. We need to focus on up-skilling workers and rethink education now, because whether it's code or construction, the AI & automation revolution is well underway.
You can find more details on Figure's website
This is something I've been fascinated with, robotics and automobile engineering marvels(the new Buggati v16 though 🔥 ) apart from my coding operations.
For everything from powerful LLMs to back-ends to APIs
Reach Out to us on our socials 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼
LastCrown on Facebook
LastCrown on Instagram
LastCrown on LinkedIn
Top comments (0)