The AI Podcast

Episode119 The Future is Humanoid: Brett Adcock on Figure AI's Robotics Revolution

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The Future is Humanoid: Brett Adcock on Figure AI's Robotics Revolution

Brett Adcock, the founder and CEO of Figure AI, shared his ambitious vision for the future of humanoid robotics in a discussion reviewed here (originally from The AI Podcast, Ep. 156, Feb 2024). He argues compellingly that humanoid robots are not just a futuristic novelty, but the essential platform for deploying Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) effectively into the physical world.

Key Theme 1: Humanoid Robots as the Ideal AGI Deployment Vector

Adcock posits that for AGI to interact meaningfully and perform diverse tasks in human environments, it needs a human-like form. Confining AGI to servers creates a bottleneck, requiring human intervention. A humanoid robot, however, offers a versatile, single hardware platform capable of learning and executing a vast array of tasks through advanced AI.

  • Quote Insight: "the humanoid robot is like the ultimate deployment Vector for AGI... you can't solve this with anything else besides a human like a mechanical human"
    • Key Theme 2: Figure's Rapid Development & Vertical Integration

    Figure's progress has been remarkably swift, moving from concept to shipping its first robot in just 31 months. This speed is attributed to:

    1. Rapid Hardware Iteration: Designing entirely new robot platforms every 12-18 months.
    2. Complete Vertical Integration: Due to a non-existent supply chain, Figure designs and builds everything in-house – hardware (kinematics, joints, motors, batteries, sensors), software (firmware, OS, controls, AI), manufacturing, testing, and operations.
      • Quote Insight: "you went from a cold start in 31 months to shipping your first robot... we are designing a new hardware platform every 12 to 18 months"
        • Key Theme 3: Massive Market Opportunity: Workforce & Home

        Adcock identifies two primary markets, representing trillions of dollars:

        1. Commercial Workforce: Seen as the larger ($50-60 trillion, roughly half of global GDP) and initially easier market due to more structured, repeatable tasks. Figure already has deployments, including daily operations at BMW's South Carolina plant assisting with car manufacturing, and a second logistics customer.
        2. The Home: While described as "vastly harder" due to unstructured environments, safety needs, and task variability, the potential for robots to handle chores (laundry, making coffee, etc.) is immense.
          • Quote Insight: "the commercial Workforce which is like roughly half of GDP is human labor so it's like the largest market in the world... the home is just like vastly harder"
            • Key Theme 4: Helix - Figure's Proprietary AI System

            A cornerstone of Figure's strategy is "Helix," their internally developed large-scale Vision-Language-Action AI model. Helix enables robots to understand natural language commands and perform complex tasks, even involving novel objects, representing a significant leap for practical robotics.

            • Quote Insight: "This is our like a large scale AI internally... this this is probably the most important AI update for robotics in human history... it will be powered by AI agents like this"
              • Key Theme 5: Overcoming Technical Hurdles & Future Outlook

              Adcock highlights three core challenges Figure is actively solving:

              1. Building reliable, complex humanoid hardware.
              2. Implementing AI-driven manipulation via neural networks (vs. traditional controls).
              3. Achieving generalization for handling novel tasks and situations.

                4. Figure is making substantial progress, aiming for an "iPhone moment" for humanoids. They plan alpha testing in homes this year (2025) and believe AI like Helix will drastically reduce the time needed to teach robots new tasks. Affordability is key, with a target volume price of $20,000 - $30,000, making multiple robots per household conceivable.

                • Quote Insight: "in volume in the future... you'll see these at a price point of 20 to $30,000... there's really nothing in the system right now that would show that this product should be very... expensive"
                  • Notable Facts & Milestones:
                  • First walking robot achieved in under 12 months from C Corp filing.
                  • Current deployments at BMW (South Carolina) and a logistics company.
                  • Task time reduction achieved (e.g., BMW sheet metal task from 4 mins to 40 secs).
                  • Helix AI enabled a new commercial solution deployment in under 30 days.
                  • Figure 3, the next-gen robot (cheaper, smaller, lighter, better sensors, AI-focused), expected in production this year (2025).
                  • Estimated immediate demand: Could ship 1 million robots today if available.
                    • Conclusion

                    Brett Adcock presents Figure AI not just as a robotics company, but as a leader driving the convergence of advanced AI and capable humanoid hardware. Their rapid progress, vertical integration, focus on the powerful Helix AI, and early commercial successes (like with BMW) suggest they are a major force shaping the future of both labor and daily life. While challenges remain, particularly in the complex home environment, Figure's trajectory indicates that humanoid robots are transitioning from science fiction to near-term reality.

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                    The AI PodcastBy Doc Pearson