For $25,000... Meet the humanoid robot that appeared with Melania Trump at the White House
On Wednesday, the White House hosted its " first humanoid robot guest ," as First Lady Melania Trump appeared accompanied by a robot from the robotics startup company Figure AI. The robot, known as "Figure 03," accompanied the First Lady during the second day of the "Global Alliance to Build the Future Together" summit, a gathering focused on technology and children's education. According to widely circulated videos from the event, the robot greeted the attendees in several languages and introduced itself as a "humanoid robot made in the USA," according to a CNBC report seen This demonstration is one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, humanoid robot demonstrations in the United States to date, and highlights how this technology has become a national priority in the face of global technological competition. In contrast, Beijing has also promoted humanoid robots at widely covered events this year. The First Lady used the robot to promote her push to integrate artificial intelligence into children's education, suggesting that robots could one day serve as interactive teachers at home. However, Figer AI says its third-generation humanoid robots are also usable for more general purposes, including business and domestic tasks. The White House spotlight is likely to boost the profile of Nvidia-backed FigerAI, a robotics company that is less well-known than big players in humanoid robotics such as Tesla with its Optimus robot and Boston Dynamics, although some of its team members came from those rival companies, as well as tech giants like Apple.
Up-and-coming startup
FigerAI was founded in 2022 by Brett Adcock, a tech entrepreneur and billionaire who previously co-founded the publicly traded drone company Archer Aviation and the digital recruitment platform Vetery. FigerAI's robots rely on the company's Helix AI system, a model that combines vision, language, and actions to power its robots and enable them to learn through observation and voice commands. Amid growing investor enthusiasm for physical artificial intelligence, the company raised more than $1 billion in a Series C funding round in September led by Parkway Venture Capital and with participation from other prominent investors such as Nvidia, Intel Capital, Qualcomm Ventures and Salesforce, raising its market value to $39 billion. This funding is expected to be used toward the company's goal of deploying thousands of robots in homes and the logistics sector over the coming years, a goal that has likely become easier after significant support from the White House. FigerAI has already begun working with its first commercial customer, BMW, deploying its robots for tasks such as handling sheet metal parts in its factories.
Figure 03
The Figer 03 robot is the third generation of humanoid robots from Figer AI, designed for home use and for widespread global use. The company said on its website that its goal with Figure 03 is to "provide a truly multi-purpose robot, capable of performing human-like tasks and learning directly from humans." This robot features a completely redesigned sensing system and hand system, specifically designed to enable the "Helix" artificial intelligence system.
The Figure 03 boasts several new features, including soft fabrics, wireless charging, an enhanced voice control system, and advanced battery safety technologies that make it safer and easier to use indoors. This generation differs from previous Figer AI robots in that each hand includes a camera built into the palm with a wide field of view, providing close-up backup visual feedback during grasping operations.
These cameras allow the "Helix" system to maintain visual awareness even when the main cameras are blocked, and enable it to continuously control and adapt in real time. The Figer AI robot costs approximately $24,760, and is considered a direct competitor to Elon Musk's Tesla's Optimus robot.
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