In the world of humanoid robots, the promise of the autonomous domestic companion fascinates as much as it repels. But at Figure AI, the deployment strategy does not go through the show. It starts on production lines. In less than three years, the Californian startup led by Brett Adcock designed and delivered its first humanoid robots, today at work in the BMW factory in Spartanburg, in South Carolina.
A technical feat, but above all a lucid commercial maneuver: in its initial phase, figures the industrial segment, where demand is immediate, repetitive tasks and higher margins.
“If we had 100,000 functional robots today, they would be deployed instantly”, says Adcock.
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A solid and under tension B2B market
Logic is simple: physical work represents Almost 50 % of world GDPor a market 50 to 60,000 billion dollars. This segment suffers from an increasing deficit in labor, accentuated by retirements and sustainable tensions on recruitment. For industrialists, humanoid robots do not embody a futuristic vision, but a short -term operational solution.
The first two customers of Figure AI – whose BMW – already exploit the capacities of robots for handle body partsin an environment with high cadence, without human supervision. A second contract was signed with one of the world’s largest players in logistics. According to the figure team, the entire process – integration, adaptation, execution – has been carried out in less than 30 daysagainst more than a year for the first customer.
Economic unit and industrial scalability
The targeted cost is $ 30,000 per roboteither About 280 euros per month in leasing. At this price, a humanoid robot becomes competitive in front of an employee paid at the minimum wage. At this price, time depreciation is less than 0.40 eurosfor continuous operation, 24 hours a day, without break or illness.
The stake is no longer only technological but industrial : Produce on a large scale, at low cost, with standardized architecture. Figure AI provides a rapid rate rise, with a structured roadmap around the third generation of its robot – lighter, less expensive, optimized for series production.
An industrial bet before conquering the home
If the long -term vision remains oriented towards The domestic robotBrett Adcock does not hide the specific B2C challenges: heterogeneous environments, security requirements, natural interaction, semantic understanding. Conversely, the professional world offers uniform tasksin controlled places, and a direct economic value.
The approach is clear: Build a robust technological infrastructure in industrial environments before transposing it in individuals. The model recalls Tesla’s trajectory, passed by the high -end before democratization.
“The home is the West West. Industry is the fast way for real impact ”summarizes Adcock.
Robotics by use, not by dreams
With Figure AI, humanoid leaves the laboratory and enters the real economy. Rather than selling a distant vision, the startup is anchored in the constraints and immediate needs of large companies. By positioning itself first as robotic labor supplier for critical sectorsFigure AI gives himself the means to create an industrial, financial and technical basis sufficiently solid to aim, later, Domestic daily automation.
