Figure AI, Inc. is a United States-based robotics company specializing in the development of AI-powered humanoid robots.[1] It was founded in 2022, by Brett Adcock, the founder of Archer Aviation and Vettery.[2] Figure AI's team is composed of experts from robotics, artificial intelligence, sensing, perception, and navigation, blending experiences from notable companies like Boston Dynamics and Tesla.[2]

History

In 2022, the company introduced its prototype, Figure 01, a bipedal robot designed for manual labor, initially targeting the logistics and warehousing sectors.[3]

In May 2023 the company raised $70 million from investors led by Parkway Venture Capital.[4]

On January 18 2024 Figure announced a partnership with BMW to deploy humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing facilities.[5]

In February 2024, Figure AI secured $675 million in venture capital funding from a consortium that includes Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, Intel, and the startup-funding divisions of Amazon and OpenAI.[1][6][7] The funding valued the company at $2.6 billion.[1] It also announced a partnership with OpenAI. The collaboration includes OpenAI building specialized AI models for Figure's humanoid robots, allowing them to accelerate Figure's development timeline by enabling its robots to "process and reason from language".[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Palmer, Annie (2024-02-29). "Humanoid robot startup Figure AI valued at $2.6 billion as Bezos, OpenAI, Nvidia join funding". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  2. ^ a b Kingson, Jennifer A. (Mar 17, 2023). "Humanoid robots are coming". Axios.
  3. ^ Berg, Nate (February 3, 2023). "The race to build AI-powered humanoids is heating up". Fast Company.
  4. ^ Hu, Krystal (May 24, 2023). "AI startup Figure raises $70 million to build humanoid robots". Reuters.
  5. ^ "Figure announces commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to bring general purpose robots into automotive production". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  6. ^ Singh, Jaspreet (February 24, 2024). "Bezos, Nvidia join OpenAI in funding humanoid robot startup, Bloomberg reports". Reuters.
  7. ^ a b O'Brien, Matt (March 3, 2024). "Humanoid robot-maker Figure gets funding from OpenAI, Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and other tech giants". Fast Company.