Figure 03
X via @Dexerto

The latest creation from Figure AI, unveiled earlier this week, is a sleek, third-generation humanoid designed to handle everyday tasks, from folding clothes and loading the dishwasher to watering your plants and tidying up.

Built with soft-touch materials, advanced sensors, and safety-first joints, Figure 03 looks less like a sci-fi villain and more like a very expensive butler. It moves with uncanny grace, recognises objects in real time, and even mimics human decision-making.

But beneath the shiny exterior lies a familiar question: is this the future of home help or just another overhyped tech trophy?

What Figure 03 Promises

Technically, Figure 03 has received material upgrades. The bot is driven by Helix, a vision-language-action AI system, designed to analyse its environment in real time and adapt. It is lighter, with a 60% wider field of view per camera, sensors in each palm, and improved tactile sensors that can detect pressures of only a few grams.

Its hands are more dexterous; the entire external shell is softer mesh fabric to reduce potential safety concerns. The battery is wirelessly charged and fabricated to meet UN38.3 safety standards.

Manufacturing has also shifted: many components are die-cast or injection moulded rather than machined, reducing cost and production time. Figure AI hopes to ramp up output to 12,000 units per year initially, with a target of 100,000 over four years from their BotQ facility in San Jose.

Performance in home-style demonstrations is modest but creative: the robot can walk off its charging station, collect a dropped plate, rinse dishes carefully, place them in the dishwasher and fold simple clothing under controlled conditions. It moves gracefully—but slowly. It has to navigate human tools and devices built for human hands, which introduces many small limitations.

Limitations And Costs

Despite the spectacle, several strong caveats make Figure 03 less of a 'robot for every home.' First, tasks are often only partially autonomous. It can place items in a dishwasher, but starting the machine or dealing with dropped items often requires human help.

Folding clothes works, but some garments trigger glitches (for example, awkward fabric arrangements or inability to reach certain folds).

Secondly, its battery life is limited to perhaps five hours under optimal conditions; also, its shape and movement assume open, uncluttered spaces—typical homes with tight hallways, stairs or many objects may flummox it.

Then there's cost. At around $20,000 per unit, this robot is clearly beyond the reach of average households. Additional costs such as maintenance, software updates, and replacing wear parts (hands, sensors) are likely significant. And the robot's speed is still slow, which means it may not save much time relative to just doing chores by itself.

The Verdict

So, smart buy or rich-people toy? The answer depends heavily on expectations and means. For early adopters, tech enthusiasts, or households with substantial disposable income, Figure 03 may deliver real value: reducing repetitive tasks, offering novel convenience, and signalling futuristic living.

For those seeking robust reliability, speed, or full autonomy in messy or complex environments, it likely falls short.

In essence, Figure 03 is more toy-in-ambition than household staple, at least for now. The advances are real and the path promising; but until further improvements in speed, affordability, adaptability, and true autonomy, it remains a luxury item.

Over the next year, as Figure AI continues to roll out updates, one might see it edge closer to being not just a rich-person toy, but a smart-investment helper.

Writer's pick