Humanoid robots like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas are taking leaps and bounds forward by using artificial intelligence to help them understand the world around them and be more independent in multitasking. You can see them doing physical exercises, talking to people and manipulate objects with great precisionwhich demonstrates the wide range of jobs they will be able to apply for in the future.
Six months ago, the humanoid robot reached Figure 01 his first job at a BMW car factory. Since then, the human-shaped machine has been training for various tasks and now shows off its acquired abilities in a video.
So far, the model has been seen in previous videos walking around and performing autonomous tasks in a warehouse or acting as a waiter making coffee and talking to a customer. In this new preview we can see complete autonomy of the robot when working with vehicle parts under construction.
Figure 01 robot working at BMW
Figure 01 grasp different pieces with both hands at the same time or hold several objects independently on each limb. Neural networks used by the robot’s brain connect each pixel to direct actions and object manipulation. This way you will know where to place each piece with a tolerance of less than 3 centimeters; less than a centimeter in the case of inserting pieces. You can even fix the position of the item if it moved when you inserted it.
Its movements are not as agile as those of a human, Figure 01 can achieve at a speed of 1.2 meters per second, but the key to its accuracy at work lies in the plethora of cameras and sensors equipped in Figure 01. These cameras, the company explains, feed a large vision and language model (VLM) trained by OpenAI. The robot’s neural networks capture images at 10 Hz through the cameras on the robot, and then the neural network generates 24 degrees of freedom actions at 200 Hz.
Frame from the Figure tech demo.
Since its launch, the company has assured that these machines will perform dangerous jobs that are not suitable for humans, such as handling dangerous machinery in a factory or alleviating labor shortages. But their arrival also fuels fears of massive job losses because they are not unionized, Sick leave is not taken or vacation days are required..
