[Humanoid Tech War] Tesla Optimus' First Task is 'Hand'... Robot Becoming More Human-like with AI Integration

Figure 01 Advances in Language Understanding and Offering Apologies
Essential Elements: AI, Sensors, Hands, Walking, Battery... 'Final Stage of Learning to Walk'

The humanoid 'Figure 01' of 'Figure AI' is handing over an apple.

The humanoid model unveiled by the American robotics company Figure AI has caused a significant stir. 'Figure 01,' created in collaboration with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, demonstrated human-like abilities such as understanding human language and handing over objects directly. When asked, "What do you see right now?" Figure 01 responded, "There is a red apple on a plate in the center of the table, a drying rack with cups and plates, and you are standing nearby with your hand on the table." When asked, "Please give me something to eat," it handed over the apple.

Humanoids must resemble humans as closely as possible. Therefore, elements such as the brain, senses, arms, legs, and heart are essential. The brain function is handled by AI. Machine learning and large language models (LLM), which function similarly to human learning, are applied to recognize natural human language and convert it into code that moves the robot, ultimately completing tasks. They also receive visual information and perform various missions based on it. Although Figure 01 showed the ability to understand human language, it is still lacking in comprehending more complex intentions in diverse situations.

Senses are managed by sensors. Information acquired through sensors becomes the basis for AI training data. Particularly, sensors related to touch have only recently begun to receive attention. Just as humans obtain various information and perform tasks through their hands, humanoids must have this function to carry out delicate tasks or interactions.

The device corresponding to the human arm is called a hand. It is divided into motor-driven types with motors installed at each joint and tendon-driven types where the moving part and driving part differ. So far, each joint does not move flexibly, limiting delicate activities.

According to the Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson, the field that Tesla focused on immediately after starting development of the bipedal robot Optimus Prime was also the "hand." This was because the ability to pick up objects was considered more important than walking for aiding production activities. The development team worked on enhancing the function of the pinky finger by making it the same length as the ring finger and reducing the number of finger joints to two, unlike a human hand.

Bipedal walking technology is gradually advancing, but flexible walking and stability like humans still have limitations.

The heart function is handled by the battery. Improvements have been made from needing more than an hour of charging for one hour of movement. In the case of Figure 01, it can operate for up to five hours on a single charge.

Although research on the essential components that make up humanoids is ongoing, the common consensus is that there is still a long way to go to achieve high-level thinking and human-like behavior. It is also said to be at the "final stage of learning to walk." Many challenges remain to be solved to walk and run. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) selected humanoids as one of the top five robot trends this year but also stated, "Several complex challenges remain before they can enter the public domain."