Figure AI: History & Origins

Figure releases Figure 03, featuring soft textile coverings designed to improve safety in human-sharing environments. The platform sees further enhancements to applicability across diverse manufacturing settings. The investment in safety and ergonomics reflects lessons learned from over 18 months of real-world deployment at BMW.

Figure AI has achieved sustained commercial deployment with over 100 Figure 02 robots actively working at BMW facilities, completing multi-hour shifts with minimal human intervention. The company has raised $675 million in total funding, positioning it as one of the best-funded robotics startups globally. Company expands BMW partnership across multiple European production facilities and explores partnerships with other manufacturers.

Figure 02 robots begin performing actual manufacturing tasks on BMW production lines, handling parts sorting, material feeding, tray assembly, and quality inspection duties. This milestone is extraordinary for the robotics industry — while other humanoid platforms are years from commercial deployment, Figure's robots are already contributing to vehicle manufacturing. Reflects Figure AI's pragmatic philosophy: robots don't need to be perfect, just useful enough to add value while continuing to learn.

Figure AI partners with OpenAI to integrate advanced language models into Figure robots. Integration enables understanding complex natural language instructions and flexible task execution. Rather than programming specific motions, robots interpret goals in plain language and generate appropriate behaviours — dramatically expanding task repertoire without constant manual reprogramming.

Figure develops Helix AI, a proprietary neural network framework trained directly on real-world deployment data from manufacturing environments. Unlike competitors that license existing software, Figure built custom AI systems specifically optimized for its hardware and the unique challenges of factory work.

Less than a year after founding, Figure AI publicly reveals Figure 01 — a fully functional, production-ready humanoid standing 170 cm tall. The platform features dexterous hands, advanced computer vision, and proprietary neural networks for task understanding and motion control. Rapid progress enabled by Adcock's expertise, talented engineer recruitment, and focus on hardware that could actually perform work rather than pursuing perfect design first.

Figure AI is founded by Brett Adcock, an engineer with extensive robotics and autonomous systems experience. Previous roles include VP of Engineering at Ghost Robotics (legged robots for industrial inspection) and roles at Apptronik developing humanoid platforms. Adcock's founding vision: build and deploy humanoid robots directly into real manufacturing environments, learning from practical experience and iterating rapidly based on field data. This approach contrasts sharply with research-focused strategies of established robotics companies — rather than advancing underlying capabilities through laboratory work, Figure commits to delivering a commercial platform performing actual manufacturing work.