Figure AI Demos 'Helix 02' Humanoid
Figure AI's next-generation humanoid, reportedly codenamed 'Helix 02', is being showcased performing complex, multi-step manipulation tasks and collaborating with humans. The platform represents a push toward embodied AI that can learn continuously from human demonstration. Analysts note the industry is shifting from demos to practical use cases, with "physical AI" now defined by a robot's ability to reason and adapt in the real world.
Figure AI's rapid ascent is fueled by approximately $1.9 billion in total funding, culminating in a September 2025 Series C round that valued the company at $39 billion. Key investors include tech giants like Microsoft, Nvidia, and Intel, alongside Jeff Bezos's Bezos Expeditions and the OpenAI Startup Fund, signaling strong confidence in their full-stack approach to hardware and AI. The company made a significant strategic pivot in early 2025 by ending its AI model collaboration with OpenAI to focus on its proprietary, in-house system. This system, Helix, is a vision-language-action (VLA) model designed for high-frequency robotic control, allowing the humanoid to process language commands and perform complex physical tasks without task-specific training. The partnership with BMW involves deploying humanoids at the Spartanburg, South Carolina, manufacturing plant. A 2025 pilot program had the Figure 02 robot working in the body shop, handling sheet metal parts for over 90,000 components across 10-hour shifts. This real-world testing is crucial for validating the robots' performance in industrial environments. To meet its ambitious deployment goals, Figure established "BotQ," a high-volume manufacturing facility in California with a target output of 12,000 robots per year. In a move toward recursive automation, the company plans to progressively use its own humanoid robots to assist in the assembly of new units. While the Figure 02 model focused on industrial applications, the company unveiled its third-generation humanoid, Figure 03, in October 2025. This newer model is specifically designed for the complexities of home environments, featuring hardware like embedded palm cameras and advanced tactile sensors. Figure AI, founded in 2022 by serial entrepreneur Brett Adcock, is part of a competitive landscape that includes Boston Dynamics (acquired by Hyundai), Tesla's Optimus robot, and Agility Robotics. The industry is rapidly moving from research concepts to commercial pilot programs, with a focus on automating physical labor in manufacturing and logistics.
