Unless you have service at home, you have to face the tedious task of doing the laundry like the rest of mortals. However, Figure is working to change that. It is a company dedicated to robotic artificial intelligence, founded by Brett Adcock. Among its latest projects is Helix, a vision-language-action (VLA) generalist model capable of unifying language and human understanding.
Figure’s goal is to bring to market a humanoid robot capable of carrying out household chores, something like a domestic robot. Although Figure 02 is a fully autonomous robot, it still has to learn to use not only our washing machine but all the ones that exist in the world. Home automation is already a reality, but we will have to wait for human-robot interaction to extend to household tasks.
Figure AI
Founded in 2022 by Brett Adcock, Figure AI, Inc. is a U.S. company dedicated to robotics, specializing in the development of AI-powered humanoid robots. Currently, its main headquarters is located in Sunnyvale, California, United States. Unlike other humanoid robot development companies, Figure aims for its robots to serve in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and even retail. It is characterized by developing robots with AI, which allows for continuous learning, adaptation, and the execution of complex tasks.
Figure 01 and Figure 02
Among the creations of Figure, the company has two robots with proper names, Figure 01 and Figure 02. According to Figure’s official website, “Figure 01 combines the dexterity of the human form and cutting-edge artificial intelligence to go beyond single-function robots and provide support in manufacturing, logistics, storage, and retail.” Meanwhile, Figure 02 has been tested in BMW production plants, performing tasks such as moving parts and transporting heavy objects. It is now proposed that Figure 02 also take on other tasks.
A humanoid robot doing you laundry
Social media witnessed the announcement of the video posted by the company, where Figure 02 was seen helping with domestic tasks. Although clips of their humanoid robots performing some tasks can be seen on their website, in this case, Figure 02 was seen taking clothes out of a basket and putting them in the washing machine with the help of the founder’s children, Adcock.
How is this possible?
This has been made possible thanks to Helix. It is a generalist Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model created by the company. This model is capable of unifying human perception and understanding with language, with great success. It is basically the brain of Figure’s humanoid robots. Throughout this year, it is expected to start testing the robots in homes, with the aim of being able to offer them to the consumer market at some point.
Although this idea makes us dream of the possibility of never having to do laundry again, the truth is that there is still a long way to go before humanoid domestic robots become a reality. If it is already a challenge for us humans to understand how a new washing machine works, imagine for the Helix model, which has to learn to control all the washing machines that exist on the market.
What is next?
The company has stated that this new clip reveals what they consider to be a big step towards home automation. It may be that the idea is closer, but there are still many aspects to refine. Although some may die of impatience, we will still have to wait to see how a humanoid robot walks around the house doing chores while we rest.