Notable Improvements in Movement, Sensation and Adaptability
October 10 News – According to media reports, Figure AI, a U.S.-based humanoid robot startup, has recently officially launched its third-generation humanoid robot, “Figure 03”. The new-generation robot features significant improvements in movement smoothness, sensory precision, and environmental adaptability, and can perform a variety of household and service-related tasks.
Versatile Task Scope: Covering Household Activities and Service Roles
Figure 03 is capable of completing a series of household activities such as serving tea and water, interacting with pets, tidying rooms, washing dishes, and putting clothes into washing machines. It can also take on roles like hotel receptionist, courier delivery, parcel sorting, and even banquet server. Beyond household and service scenarios, it can further provide auxiliary support for light industrial tasks—for example, collaborating with a bathroom shower base assembling machine by using its pressure-sensitive fingers to accurately sort and deliver small assembly components (such as screws and waterproof gaskets), or leveraging its enhanced vision system to inspect the assembled shower base for gaps or alignment errors, effectively boosting the precision and efficiency of the assembly workflow. In the demo video, its movements are smooth and natural, showing obvious progress compared to the previous generation.
Fabric Covering Replaces Metal Shell for Better Adaptability
In terms of appearance, Figure 03 uses an overall fabric covering instead of the traditional metal shell. This soft outer layer can be easily disassembled, replaced, and cleaned, and supports matching with different outfits, enhancing the robot’s approachability and scenario adaptability.
Soft, Pressure-Sensitive Fingers Enable Precise Operation
The new hand structure is the focus of this upgrade. Figure 03’s fingers are softer, more compliant, and have a larger contact area, enabling it to stably grasp objects of different shapes and sizes. Each fingertip can detect tiny pressure as low as 3 grams (approximately the weight of a paperclip), allowing it to distinguish between “stable grip” and “about to slip” states and achieve more precise operation control. In the demo, the robot could pick up a tomato, an egg, and a playing card respectively, and place them gently, demonstrating excellent hand flexibility.
Higher Performance and Built-In Palm Cameras
The vision system has also undergone a comprehensive upgrade: Figure 03’s frame rate has doubled, latency has been reduced by a quarter, the field of view of a single lens has expanded by 60%, and it has a wider depth of field. In addition, each palm is equipped with a built-in wide-angle, low-latency camera. Even if the main camera is blocked, it can still provide close-range visual feedback, ensuring continuous operation and real-time adaptive capabilities.
Lighter Body with Autonomous Wireless Charging
To adapt to efficient operation in home environments, Figure 03 is 9% lighter in weight and significantly smaller in size than the previous generation, making it easy to move flexibly indoors. It has a built-in induction coil in its foot, supporting wireless charging at 2kW power via a wireless base, and can autonomously return to the charging station for recharging and data upload.
10Gbps Millimeter-Wave for End-to-End Learning
Figure 03 also has a 10Gbps millimeter-wave data transmission capability, which can transmit all learning data back at high speed to achieve continuous system optimization. The company describes it as “the first humanoid robot platform truly capable of realizing end-to-end learning from ‘pixels to actions'”.
Safety Assurance: Certified Battery, Upgraded Audio and Internal Safety Guidelines
In terms of safety, Figure 03’s battery system has passed the UN38.3 international safety certification and is equipped with multiple protection mechanisms. Its audio system has also been upgraded to improve the naturalness of real-time voice interaction. Brett Adcock, CEO of the company, stated that he has tested the robot in a home environment with young children and implemented “strict supervision”. Figure AI has developed internal safety guidelines similar to the “Three Laws of Robotics”, but has not disclosed specific details citing patent protection.
