Figure AI Set to Begin Household Robot Testing in 2025

Figure AI, a robotics company known for its humanoid robot Figure 02, is expanding its focus beyond industrial applications to include private households as potential markets. The company's CEO announced plans to initiate alpha testing of its robots in domestic environments in 2025, utilizing its latest humanoid robot model, Figure 02.

Earlier this month, Figure AI unveiled its versatile Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model named Helix. This machine-learning platform is designed for humanoid robots, enabling them to process visual information alongside voice commands, thus allowing for real-time understanding and execution of natural language instructions. This capability was demonstrated with two Figure 02 robots that successfully collaborated in a kitchen environment, retrieving and organizing items upon request.

In a recent video, the robots, initially unfamiliar with the items presented to them, effectively sorted objects, placing food items into the refrigerator while organizing other utensils into their respective kitchen drawers. Helix is engineered to coordinate multiple robots, allowing them to work together seamlessly to achieve specific tasks.

Previously, Figure AI concentrated primarily on industrial settings, with implementations in companies like BMW. However, the introduction of Helix paves the way for the company to transition its technology into less structured household environments, moving away from the highly organized industrial applications. The integration of Helix allows robots to autonomously navigate domestic spaces and perform tasks upon request without complex programming.

Other companies in the robotics sector, such as Apptronik and Tesla, are also pursuing the development of humanoid robots for household use, although they appear to be focusing their initial efforts on industrial applications, which they perceive as more lucrative. In contrast, Norwegian start-up 1X is targeting the home market directly with its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, branded as a 'Home Humanoid' designed to function as a personal assistant and companion.

Figure AI, however, is adopting a dual strategy, aiming to deploy its robots in both industrial and residential settings. According to the current timeline, the first household robots are expected to be operational by 2027, marking a significant step towards integrating humanoid robotics into everyday life.