Figure AI’s humanoid robot ‘speeds up BMW production by 400%’

Figure AI, the robotics company, and German automotive giant BMW have announced major upgrades in the capabilities of the Figure 02 humanoid robot, now operational on a production line. According to the company, the Figure 02 can now function as an “autonomous fleet,” achieving a 400% increase in speed and a sevenfold improvement in success rate.

A newly released video platforms the humanoid’s improved performance. Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure, revealed that the robot is now completing up to 1,000 placements per day, showcasing its significant progress. He wrote on X: “This will only improve as we deploy more robots, collect more data, and improve our AI models.”

UPDATE: Figure x BMW

Figure 02 is now an autonomous fleet, 400% faster with 7x higher success rate

We’re committed to delivering millions of useful robots to companies and homes worldwide

Details in thread: pic.twitter.com/YUhpjXPlRA

— Brett Adcock (@adcock_brett) November 19, 2024

The video also demonstrated the robot’s abilities in performing a high-precision sheet metal insertion task, which requires placing an object into a pin-pole less than 1 cm wide. According to Adcock, deploying this use case autonomously with a high degree of reliability was “exceptionally challenging.”

The process involved securely grasping “difficult-to-handle” sheet metal parts with precision that directly impacted their placement, as well as releasing the parts without causing the robot to collide with the metal fixture. To meet the task’s requirements, the operation’s cycle time had to be reduced by four minutes.

Earlier this year, ReadWrite reported on the partnership between the two companies, which successfully tested the humanoid robot at BMW’s Spartanburg plant. This marked the first time BMW integrated a humanoid robot into its production line.

At the time, Dr. Robert Engelhorn, BMW Manufacturing’s President and CEO, stated: “The use of robotics solutions has the potential to drive greater efficiency and support the transformation ahead.”

By August, Figure 02 was released 10 months after the pilot version. The humanoid was said to have more dexterity than Figure 01, being able to engage with others and learn from its mistakes.

BMW Group said that Figure 02 had “successfully inserted sheet metal parts into specific fixtures, which were then assembled as part of the chassis.”

A month later, TechCrunch reported that the company announced it would use part of its $1.5 billion in funding to move into a new, larger location and that the robots would return to the Spartanburg plant in January, this time permanently.

Featured image: Figure

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