Figure 01: Robot That Will Work in The BMW Factory

The promise of enabling robots to perform real, useful tasks is already being fulfilled. A new business agreement was recently signed with BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC. Figure defined initial use cases for the BMW Spartanburg plant and began preparation for the gradual introduction of robots to the site. Today we will talk about Figure 01, a humanoid robot that will be the sensation of 2024. Let’s get started!

The background of Figure 01

This is not the first time autonomous humanoids have collaborated with humans. For example, Amazon announced last October that Agility Robotics was testing the Digit humanoid as a “mobile manipulator” for moving containers and bags in a warehouse environment. There’s plenty of room for older devices that haven’t been adjusted yet, and the flat floor is perfect for conveyors and wheeled robots.

It’s worth noting that Amazon invests in Agility, so they have a common interest in building Digit robots. Figure’s deal with BMW is purely commercial, making it one of the first, if not the first, deals. “There may be actual commercial deals that haven’t been announced yet, but what we’ve seen are pilots and things like that,” Adcock said in a video call.

Why was it decided to go to BMW?

According to Adcock, they wanted someone from the automotive sector since car manufacturers have a lot of experience in robotics and have worked a lot with humanoids. Honda ASIMO, Hyundai Boston Dynamics, Tesla Optimus, Toyota Robotics Institute and GM have worked, for example. Preparation for the first work at BMW has already begun in the Figure 01 laboratories, but the two companies have not yet announced what they will do in the factory. General-purpose robots are designed to look like humans and can directly perform physical tasks performed by humans using the same tools and approaches.

A commitment to robotics

The robot, which already works in the BMW factory and will soon be expanded to many others, is the Figure 01 of the same brand. It is a very advanced humanoid that represents strong competition with the rest of the brands on the market. It is designed to perform difficult and dangerous tasks within the automobile manufacturing process. So Figure 01 is the brand’s most advanced robot, which is why BMW is betting on it. There is still a lot of potential for improvement, so work is being done with BMW to improve intelligence and driving capabilities.

Who made Figure 01?

The Figure 01 humanoid robot was manufactured by Figure in California, not BMW, and is widely used in BMW factories in the United States. It was designed as a general-purpose robot with humanoid structure and performance. Ability to be dynamic and carry out structured tasks. He learned how to make coffee using artificial intelligence. This represents a major advance in the field of automation and the integration of robots into the human work environment. Competition is increasingly fierce and there is greater substitution of human labor.

Figure 01 represents a step forward in robotic technology, but it is true that there are other robots, such as Optimus from Tesla or advanced robots from Boston Dynamics. In fact, we are looking for more robots because the self-aware robot Ameca cannot be left out. In general, we are in a period of very high innovation and development in the field of robotics.

Robots are here to take over the factories, and it seems no one can escape what they see in Amazon’s robot factory. However, it is safe to assume that AI and robots will soon become a real problem for the human workforce, and we will have to think about what to do with the jobs that cannot be filled.

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How did Figure 01 learn to make coffee?

Recently, Figure 01 showed how to make coffee with a Keurig machine. The demonstration took place at Figura’s headquarters in San Francisco, where a man asked Figura-01 to make him coffee. The robot happily replied, “Of course I can!” Previously, the robot learned to imitate human behavior by watching videos of people making coffee with the same machine. It used vision systems to recognize machines and parts and motion planning systems to coordinate their movements.

He opened the hatch, put the capsule inside, closed it and pressed the button himself. Then he waited for the coffee to be ready and asked the person to take the entire cup out of the machine. The entire process took less than a minute and the robot needed no human help or guidance. He was able to complete the task independently using only the video as a reference. This is an example of AI where a neural network controls the video and output path.

What does Figure 01 this mean for AI and robotics?

The demonstration was not only impressive, but also informative and impressive. This shows that Figure-01 has added new autonomous actions to its library. These can be transferred to other figure robots working on the same system using swarm learning. This means that if one bot learns something new, other bots can also learn without having to watch the video directly.

Experiments showed that Figure 01 can be trained for all types of tasks, from peeling a banana to using power tools. Additionally, he can be ordered to create works of art and all kinds of chores that you can teach him through video tutorials. These machines are capable of adapting to all types of situations.

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Humanoids are a glimpse of the future

The agreement with BMW is the first commercial agreement for the figure. This is also very surprising. In less than two years, the company hired renowned humanoid expert Jerry Pratt as chief technology officer, raised $79 million, and signed a deal with BMW to create functional humanoids with intelligent maneuvers.

Figure 01 was first seen walking as a human in October 2023. Adcock said the company has public clients, but could not reveal any partners other than BMW. Historically, the humanoid was transferred to the University and Business Research Laboratory to study the research theory and control of physical exercise. However, there are now many companies creating these types of bots for business clients. Examples include Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Fourier Intelligence, Sanctuary, Tesla, and Unitree. And China wants in on the action, saying it will mass produce humanoids by 2025.