What's New with the Figure 03 Humanoid?

Figure has unveiled its new Figure 3 humanoid robot, showcasing enhanced capabilities and design optimizations for home and warehouse applications, though some demos still present limited real-world complexity.

• Figure 3 features a flexible foot, interchangeable clothing, and palm cameras.

• Demos highlight household tasks, but real-world complexity is yet to be fully shown.

• Safety improvements and planned large-scale production through BotQ are key developments.

Figure's Figure 3 humanoid robot introduces significant updates, including a flexible foot, interchangeable clothing, and new palm cameras, designed for versatile use in homes and logistics. While demos show the robot performing household tasks like laundry and dishwashing, there is a call for more realistic scenarios to demonstrate true autonomy and capability. Safety features like reduced size, weight, and foam at pinch points enhance its suitability for domestic environments.

Figure 3 Capabilities

• 00:01:25 Figure 3 showcases an array of new capabilities, including adding clothing and detergent to a washing machine, cleaning dishes, tidying, delivering drinks, playing with pets, and folding laundry. Its new palm cameras enable it to grab objects out of sight from its head-mounted cameras. The robot's design features a bend in its foot not present in Figure 2, and it wears interchangeable, machine-washable clothing for safety and cleanliness.

• 00:00:11 Figure 3's demonstrations raise questions about the level of autonomy versus human supervision, as CEO Brett Adcock stated nothing is teleoperated, but 'fully autonomous' implies a spectrum of control. Robotics companies should clearly label footage to indicate the extent of autonomous operation. Figure aims to address both home and warehouse needs, with new safety features like foam at pinch points and a reduced size and weight making it safer for domestic use.