The Most Powerful Robot on the Planet, Half of Silicon Valley Has Invested in It
Imagine: flexible fingers, precise manipulation, voice commands, and the ability to work in production. All this combined in one robot that does not just repeat human movements, but changes the rules of the game. Figure AI, which developed a new kind of robot, attracted investments from half of the investors and business angels of the entire Silicon Valley to realize its ambitious goals.
Figure 02 is about the height of an adult human, about 170 cm, weighs 70 kg and is specially designed to work in human conditions. The appearance of the robot is improved compared to the previous version. Its exoskeleton is designed in such a way that the load and pressure are distributed over the outer shell, and the power source and wiring are integrated inside, which makes the robot not only more reliable, but also aesthetically pleasing.
The main advantage of Figure 02 is its “intelligence”. With six high-performance RGB cameras and an AI-powered visual system, the robot has outstanding visual perception capabilities and can interact with voice. The AI model used is from OpenAI, which increases the computing and analytical capabilities Figure 02 three times compared to Figure 01.
In practical use, Figure 01 impressed viewers by learning to brew coffee in 10 hours. The new version is already working at the BMW plant, performing such precise tasks as installing metal parts into special devices. The operating time of the new version has been increased by 50%, allowing it to work continuously for more than 20 hours.
Following the release of the new version, Figure AI founder and CEO Brett Adcock claimed it was the “most powerful” humanoid robot on the planet. He revealed that Figure 02 took 18 months to develop.
Robots are evolving rapidly, and the world we dreamed of in science fiction is becoming.
$186 billion investment from Jeff Bezos, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Microsoft and others
Figure AI is evolving at lightning speed. The Silicon Valley-based company, founded in 2022, unveiled its first model, Figure 01, in March 2023. A year later, Figure 02 was released.
Founder Brett Adcock has had an interest in technology and entrepreneurship since childhood, starting his first tech startups while in high school and college. He has 20 years of tech startup experience, including founding Archer (electric jets) and Vettery (online recruiting), one of which went public and the other was sold for $100 million.
Figure AI has gained attention thanks to its stellar founding team, which includes experts from IHMC, Boston Dynamics, Stanford University, Tesla, Google DeepMind, and more. The company has chosen from the start to create a universal humanoid robot using embodied intelligence technologies.
Figure AI aims to replace routine human tasks in areas such as warehouse management, logistics, and healthcare. The company aims to create a commercially viable humanoid robot, and has made significant progress in the last two years.
The company's growth rate is supported by serious investments. In two years, Figure AI has raised $750 million in funding, which indicates high expectations and interest from investors.
In April 2023, the company closed its first round of funding, raising $70 million from 10 investors, including Aliya Capital Partners. This allowed it to accelerate the development and production of Figure 01. In July 2023, the company raised an additional $9 million from Big Sky Partners and Intel Capital.
The latest funding round in February 2024 was $675 million, including investments from giants such as Jeff Bezos ($100 million), Microsoft ($95 million), NVIDIA and the Amazon Fund ($50 million each), Intel Capital ($25 million), OpenAI ($5 million), and ARK Venture Fund ($2.5 million).
Additionally, Samsung, LG, and a host of other venture capital firms and individuals participated in the investment, pushing the company's valuation to $2.6 billion.
Worldwide popularity
Humanoid robots have attracted huge amounts of investment in recent years. In the first half of 2024, global investment in AI startups was more than $35.5 billion. Five of the six largest funding rounds involved AI companies, many of which raised more than $1 billion in a single round.
Not only in America, but also in China, startups are emerging that attract significant investment. In June 2024, the Chinese company Galaxy General Robotics received 700 million yuan in an angel round, attracting 18 investors, including Meituan, BAIC, and SenseTime.
Other notable players include Yushu Technology, which raised nearly RMB 1 billion in a B2 round in February 2024, and other promising companies such as Roboyuan and Zhiyuan Robotics.
Breakthroughs in servo drives, harmonic drives, sensors, and AI technologies are allowing robots to reach new heights. However, despite significant advances, robots are still in the early stages of automating certain manufacturing processes. Question “Technical breakthrough or capitalist hype” remains relevant.
It is a high-risk, high-reward industry.
As FigureAI founder Brett Adcock said:
Our company will require decades of development, a team of champions, billions of dollars in investment, and engineering innovation to achieve significant market impact. We face high risks and low odds of success. However, if we succeed, it will have a positive impact on humanity and create the largest company on the planet.
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