Bay Area robotics startup Figure is advancing its home robot plans at an unexpectedly rapid pace. Founder Brett Adcock announced Thursday that the alpha testing of the Figure 02 humanoid robot in home environments will begin in the second half of 2025, significantly ahead of industry expectations. Driving this aggressive plan is Figure's newly developed Helix system – a general-purpose AI model integrating vision, language, and action.
Helix's breakthrough lies in its multimodal learning capabilities. It can process visual data and natural language instructions simultaneously, significantly improving the robot's efficiency in learning new tasks. This self-developed technological approach marks a strategic shift for Figure since parting ways with OpenAI. In recent demonstrations, Helix has coordinated two robots to collaboratively complete complex household chores like cooking, showcasing powerful task execution capabilities.
Although the home environment is widely considered the ultimate goal for humanoid robots, Figure has adopted a pragmatic "industrial-first, then home" strategy. In early 2024, the company launched an industrial pilot program at a BMW plant in South Carolina, leveraging the structured environment to gain practical experience. This choice aligns with other industry players like Tesla and Apptronik, reflecting the dual advantages of industrial settings in terms of technological maturity and commercial viability.
However, the allure of the home market remains substantial. With the global aging population, the demand for care robots is surging. A few players, such as the Norwegian startup 1X, have taken an early lead, but they face significant challenges in environmental complexity, safety, and cost control. While Figure's 2025 plan lacks specific details, the alpha testing designation indicates its home strategy is still in the early exploration phase.
