[News Inside Companies] Following OpenAI, Investment Floods into 'FigureAI'

Figure AI, gaining attention through investment by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is a U.S.-based startup developing AI-based robots that look and move like humans.

Humanoid Robot Figure 01. (Photo by FigureAI Homepage)

It was founded in 2021 by Brett Adcock, the founder of Archer Aviation, which is developing and testing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial use. Previously, Adcock established an online recruiting company called Betterly, which he sold to Adecco, the world's largest staffing company, for $110 million in 2018.

The chief technology officer is roboticist Jerry Pratt, one of the pioneers in humanoid robots. Before joining Figure AI, he was a senior researcher at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) at the University of Florida, where he developed control algorithms for the Atlas robot and conducted research to improve the robot's balance and agility.

Figure AI's core technologies include AI-based autonomous motion, 3D visual recognition, force control, and motion planning. Based on these, they unveiled their first general-purpose humanoid prototype, "Figure 01," in March last year. This robot features AI-based autonomous operation and control, enabling human-like manipulation. It can perform tasks such as opening doors with its hands, using tools, and climbing stairs, and can carry objects weighing up to 20 kg. It can operate for up to 5 hours on a single charge. According to Figure AI, this allows the robot to replace or assist human workers in fields such as manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail. Last month, Figure AI showcased Figure 01 on their YouTube channel performing a task where it picked up a capsule coffee pod with its thumb and index finger, inserted it into a capsule coffee machine, and pressed the start button, demonstrating free use of its fingers.

Figure AI's corporate valuation is estimated to be around $2 billion. The company's goal is to use AI-based robots like Figure 01 to perform dangerous tasks that humans cannot do and to address labor shortages.

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg News, Jeff Bezos will invest $100 million in Figure AI through his company Explorer Investments. Microsoft (MS) plans to invest $95 million, Amazon $50 million, and Nvidia $50 million.