In recent years, there has been a surge in the development of humanoid robots for various purposes. These robots are expected to address labor shortages, perform dangerous or repetitive tasks, assist with household chores, and combat loneliness in the elderly. One notable example is the “Optimus” robot created by Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, which is expected to perform tasks at the plant by the end of the year. Musk claims that Tesla is more advanced than other manufacturers of humanoid robots, with “Optimus” being based on artificial intelligence to carry out human-like tasks.
Despite Musk’s history of missing deadlines on ambitious promises to investors, Tesla has made progress in developing humanoid robots. The company introduced the first generation of its Optimus robot, “Bumblebee,” in September 2022 and recently showcased a video of the second generation folding a t-shirt at their facility. Other companies like FIGURE have also unveiled plans for advanced humanoid robots with significant investments from tech giants like Intel, Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
The latest advancements in humanoid robots are exemplified by FIGURE’s Figure01 robot. This robot boasts impressive capabilities and features such as shiny metallic armor and joints that provide flexibility and movement in various body parts. The Figure01 robot can engage in conversations, understand subtitles, analyze images, and carry out tasks like handing an apple or emptying a trash can with a human-like intonation. Despite their current limitations in terms of weight, speed, and capabilities, these humanoid robots show great potential for a wide range of applications in industries such as service, manufacturing, healthcare