Figure

Brett Adcock is a serial technology entrepreneur who co-founded Vettery, an AI-powered talent marketplace, in 2012 or 2013 and grew it until its acquisition by The Adecco Group for $110 million in 2018. He subsequently co-founded Archer Aviation in 2018, an aerospace company focused on electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, raising over $1 billion and taking the company public via SPAC merger at a $2.7 billion valuation in 2021 before leaving in 2022. Adcock holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Florida and was raised on a third-generation farm in central Illinois, where he began building web-based businesses as a teenager.

Wikipedia+4

Kyle Edelberg previously served as a robotics engineer in the Robotic Manipulation and Sampling group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) starting in 2014, where he designed, analyzed, and implemented control systems for robotic platforms including contributions related to Mars rover technologies. He holds a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and brings extensive experience in advanced robotics, manipulation, and systems engineering from planetary exploration to commercial humanoid applications.

LinkedIn+1

Lee Randaccio previously worked on the marketing team at Vettery and held growth-related roles at Archer Aviation, collaborating closely with Brett Adcock across multiple ventures. She graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Business and has a professional background in digital marketing, talent management, and business development.

LinkedIn+1

Dana Berlin previously served as Chief of Staff at Archer Aviation from 2021 to 2022 and held investment banking roles, including Vice President positions at Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank. Her background includes strategic operations, go-to-market planning, and capital-related functions developed in the aerospace and finance sectors.

LinkedIn+1

Logan Berkowitz previously served as Director of Business Operations at Archer Aviation and holds a degree from Arizona State University, W. P. Carey School of Business. His experience centers on business operations, scaling startups, and strategic execution in high-growth technology and aerospace environments.

The Org+2

Figure 03 is Figure AI's third-generation general-purpose humanoid robot, engineered as the primary commercial product for household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, and dish loading as well as logistics and distribution operations in complex, unstructured environments. It stands approximately 5'6"–5'8" tall, weighs 60–61 kg, carries a 20 kg payload, achieves walking speeds of about 1.2 m/s, and delivers roughly 5 hours of runtime per wireless inductive charge, with safety features including soft textile coverings, protected battery, hand-mounted cameras, and fingertip tactile sensors sensitive to forces as low as 3 grams. The robot is powered by the company's Helix AI system for on-board, real-time perception, reasoning, and autonomous task execution without scripted instructions, enabling it to learn skills from human demonstration videos and adapt to dynamic settings like homes. Introduced in October 2025 and designed from the ground up for volume manufacturing, Figure 03 has seen production scale rapidly at the BotQ facility, with over 350 units delivered by April 29, 2026 and output rates increased to one robot per hour. Commercial traction includes a May 26, 2026 agreement with Catalyst Brands (operating JCPenney, Aéropostale, and Brooks Brothers) for scaled deployment starting with an initial phase at the Reno, Nevada distribution center focused on automating sorting and packing tasks; internal demonstrations in May 2026 showed teams of Figure 03 robots achieving extended runs of up to 191 consecutive hours of 24/7 fully autonomous operation while processing over 238,000 packages. The company targets a consumer price around $20,000 and aims for an initial BotQ capacity of 12,000 units per year with a longer-term goal of 100,000 robots over four years, positioning the platform for both home assistance and workforce augmentation in retail logistics.

Figure AI+5

Helix is Figure AI's proprietary generalist vision-language-action (VLA) AI model and control system that serves as the core intelligence layer for its humanoid robots, enabling unified perception, movement, reasoning, and autonomous decision-making in real time on board the hardware. Helix 02, released in January 2026, extends prior capabilities to full-body loco-manipulation, incorporating tactile sensing from Figure 03's fingertip sensors and palm cameras to perform precise, long-horizon tasks such as end-to-end dishwasher unloading across a full kitchen or complex object manipulation in clutter without human intervention. The system learns new skills directly from human demonstration footage rather than explicit programming—for example, achieving towel-folding proficiency from video data—and supports networked multi-robot operation for continuous 24/7 workflows. It powers the Figure 03 platform for both home and commercial use cases, with ongoing fleet data collection from production and test deployments used to iteratively improve the model, including System 0 (S0) updates for human-like whole-body control trained on over 1,000 hours of human motion data. Demonstrations in 2026 highlighted sustained autonomous 8-hour factory-style shifts and extended operations processing tens of thousands of packages, while May 2026 updates showed collaborative bedroom and living room tidying by multiple robots completing complex resets in under two minutes with no shared planner. Demonstrations underscore its role in scaling general-purpose humanoid intelligence across unpredictable environments.

Figure AI+4

Apptronik develops the Apollo general-purpose humanoid for industrial applications including manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics. Apollo has entered pilot and commercial agreements with automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and partners like GXO Logistics and Jabil for electronics and 3PL operations. This positions Apptronik in direct competition for the same automotive and supply-chain buyers targeted by Figure's BMW and Catalyst Brands deployments. The company's focus on collaborative, human-centric design and modular production supports scalable manufacturing partnerships. Durable advantages arise from strategic ties to major OEMs and electronics manufacturers providing both capital and deployment pathways. Near-term roadmap centers on expanding use cases in parts handling, kitting, and sortation within factory and distribution settings. Limitations include reliance on pilot maturation amid a crowded field of industrial humanoids.

Apptronik+3

Agility Robotics produces the Digit bipedal humanoid optimized for logistics, warehousing, and light manufacturing tasks with proven commercial deployments. Digit has accumulated substantial real-world throughput in partner facilities such as GXO and expanded agreements with Toyota and Mercado Libre, establishing early revenue through robots-as-a-service models. This creates strong overlap with Figure's logistics and distribution center focus, including retail-adjacent supply chain automation. The company's pure-play structure and customer co-design approach support durable integration into existing warehouse workflows and AMR ecosystems. Strengths include demonstrated multi-shift reliability and navigation tailored to operational sites. Constraints involve a narrower emphasis on general-purpose or home use relative to broader platforms. Near-term programs continue expanding fleet deployments in industrial buyer environments shared with Figure.

Agility Robotics+3

Sanctuary AI develops the Phoenix general-purpose humanoid robot optimized for dexterous manipulation and a wide range of work tasks in industrial, manufacturing, and retail environments. The platform features advanced tactile sensing and Carbon AI for hybrid reasoning, enabling explainable performance in complex, human-centric settings that overlap with Figure's emphasis on autonomous task execution. Strategic partnership with Magna International, a major automotive supplier, provides durable access to manufacturing workflows serving buyers like BMW and Mercedes, creating direct customer ecosystem overlap. Early commercial deployments and retail pilots establish traction in logistics and store operations mirroring Figure's Catalyst Brands focus. Structural strengths include sensor-rich hardware and in-house AI development supporting long-term capability expansion without reliance on external model providers. Limitations involve more limited current production scale and capital backing relative to competitors with large automotive parents. The near-term roadmap prioritizes enterprise deployments in automotive and distribution settings shared with Figure while planning later expansion into broader applications.

Sanctuary AI+3

Tesla Optimus is a general-purpose humanoid robot platform from Tesla targeting both factory automation in automotive and broader manufacturing settings as well as future domestic applications. It leverages Tesla's vertically integrated AI stack, including large-scale training infrastructure, to pursue end-to-end autonomy in unstructured environments. The program benefits from Tesla's manufacturing scale and distribution through its existing automotive ecosystem, creating structural advantages in cost and iteration speed. Optimus directly overlaps with Figure in announced ambitions for high-volume production and deployment in buyer environments like vehicle assembly lines. Its pure-play robotics focus within a larger automotive parent provides durable capital access and data advantages from vehicle fleets. Key constraints include the need to demonstrate reliable performance outside controlled demos amid competition for engineering talent. Near-term roadmap emphasis on factory tasks aligns closely with Figure's BMW-style pilots while extending toward consumer markets.

Tesla+3

Boston Dynamics Atlas is an enterprise-grade electric humanoid robot platform focused on high-agility industrial tasks in manufacturing and logistics. The production version, unveiled for commercial deployment, has its 2026 capacity fully allocated to Hyundai Motor Group facilities and Google DeepMind, with broader customer expansion planned for 2027. This creates overlap in automotive and enterprise industrial markets where Figure pursues production-line and distribution automation. Ownership by Hyundai provides structural backing through automotive manufacturing expertise and long-term fleet ambitions, including metaplant integration. Strengths center on proven mobility, balance, and manipulation capabilities suited to complex factory environments. The roadmap emphasizes reliable serviceability and manufacturability for scaled enterprise use. Constraints include a more specialized agility focus versus broad general-purpose claims, with deployments initially tied to parent ecosystem priorities.

Boston Dynamics+2

Figure AI carries a $39 billion post-money valuation from its September 2025 Series C round exceeding $1 billion in commitments, with secondary market pricing implying a roughly 15% discount to around $34 billion as of mid-2026, yet the company has disclosed no material revenue and remains at early commercial stages with production and pilot deployments. The company has produced over 350 Figure 03 units by late April 2026 at its BotQ facility with a ramp to one robot per hour, but actual output supports only limited pilot activity. A May 2026 commercial agreement with Catalyst Brands (a Brookfield portfolio company operating JCPenney and other retail banners) provides for humanoid deployment in its Reno, Nevada distribution logistics center starting with sorting tasks, while an 11-month BMW Spartanburg deployment contributed to over 30,000 X3 vehicles. Projections from earlier investor documents forecast $9 billion in revenue by 2029 from more than 200,000 deployed robots, but the valuation already exceeds Goldman Sachs' projected 2035 total addressable market for the entire humanoid robot category. The company's total funding exceeds $1.9 billion across rounds, implying a high ongoing cash burn to support R&D, data collection, and manufacturing without corresponding top-line results. The named commercial agreements with BMW and Catalyst Brands and demonstrated production ramp provide concrete steps toward scaled deployment and recurring revenue potential under a potential robot-as-a-service model.

Figure AI+5

Figure AI faces ongoing litigation from its former Head of Product Safety, Robert Gruendel, who filed a wrongful termination suit in November 2025 alleging he was fired in September after escalating documented concerns to CEO Brett Adcock and Chief Engineer Kyle Edelberg about the robots' lethal potential. The complaint details a specific malfunction in which a robot carved a ¼-inch gash into a steel refrigerator door and claims force testing showed capabilities sufficient to fracture a human skull, with the Helix AI system introducing unique risks such as hallucinations, unexplainable decisions, self-preservation behaviors, and apparent consciousness not present in traditional machine controls. These allegations directly implicate deployment in homes and workplaces where physical proximity to humans is inherent, creating regulatory, insurance, and reputational exposure that could delay or restrict commercial adoption. Figure countersued Gruendel in January 2026. The company's public emphasis on its Center for the Advancement of Humanoid Safety and work with certifying bodies on ISO standards provides no cited evidence of resolved claims or third-party validation that overrides the pending federal court case in the Northern District of California.

CNBC+2

Figure AI's strategy, partnerships, and public positioning are heavily centered on founder and CEO Brett Adcock, who previously founded Archer Aviation and has made repeated statements on deployment milestones. Adcock announced the BMW partnership and later highlighted fleet operations, with the company subsequently publishing results of an 11-month Figure 02 deployment at BMW Spartanburg contributing to over 30,000 X3 vehicles on 10-hour shifts. The second commercial customer is now named as Catalyst Brands under a May 2026 agreement for logistics deployment, without disclosed revenue commitments or unit volumes. This concentration creates execution and credibility risk if Adcock's leadership faces sustained challenges in scaling from pilots to volume production and AI iteration, as no succession details or diversified management bench have been publicly detailed to mitigate single-point dependence in a capital-intensive hardware venture.

Figure AI+3

Figure AI must transition from prototype volumes to mass production to achieve viable economics, having produced over 350 Figure 03 units by late April 2026 at its BotQ facility after increasing production rate from 1 Figure 03 per day to 1 per hour—a 24x throughput improvement in under 120 days—with a claimed annual capacity target of 12,000 units. First-pass yields reached over 80% end-of-line and 99.3% on batteries, with over 9,000 actuators produced across more than 10 SKUs, while robots are allocated to internal R&D, data collection, housework tasks, and commercial use-case development. The company remains at an early stage of fleet deployment with ambitious plans to reach tens or hundreds of thousands of units, requiring sustained capital for facilities, supply chain, and AI training data infrastructure. Historical investor documents projected rapid scaling to support $9 billion revenue by 2029, but the structural need for cost reduction through volume while competing against lower-cost entrants creates margin compression risk before profitability. No disclosed per-unit costs, long-term supply agreements, or proven high-volume reliability data offset the execution demands of building a new hardware category at this pace.

Figure AI+2

Figure AI terminated its collaboration agreement with OpenAI in early 2025—less than a year after announcement—citing a breakthrough in fully end-to-end in-house robot AI via its Helix model, shifting reliance onto proprietary systems for high-rate control and autonomy. The ended partnership had been positioned as providing specialized models for language and task processing, leaving the company to independently solve embodied AI challenges including data collection at scale and real-world generalization without external model support; Helix 02 for full-body autonomy was introduced in January 2026. This occurs against a backdrop of well-capitalized competitors such as Tesla's Optimus program, which benefits from vast real-world data and manufacturing integration advantages. The structural risk lies in whether in-house development can sustain differentiation and iteration speed sufficient for commercial leadership, with no cited third-party benchmarks or customer performance data confirming superiority post-transition.

TechCrunch+3

Robert Gruendel, a principal robotic safety engineer with over 20 years of experience recruited as Figure's head of product safety, filed a lawsuit claiming wrongful termination after repeatedly warning executives—including CEO Brett Adcock—about risks such as robots capable of fracturing a human skull, a specific malfunction carving a gash in a steel fridge, and force levels exceeding pain thresholds. He alleges safety roadmaps were sidelined post-funding rounds in favor of rapid demos and timelines. Figure denies the claims, stating Gruendel was terminated for poor performance and that allegations are falsehoods to be discredited in court; the company countersued in January 2026. The case has drawn coverage and discussion in robotics communities as a notable early safety culture flashpoint, with the litigation remaining unresolved into 2026.

CNBC+2

Observers express surprise at Figure's high valuations (e.g., $2.6B earlier, up to $39B post-Series C) relative to peers like Boston Dynamics or Agility Robotics, questioning sustainability amid execution risks. Reddit r/robotics threads highlight this alongside calls for expert breakdowns. Positive notes on progress include production ramp claims (scaling to 1 robot/hour) and autonomous demos generating training data and sustained operation (e.g., 200+ hour package sorting livestreams), with some X voices calling it a serious bet backed by Microsoft, Nvidia, and Bezos. However, media like TechRadar and Robozaps (updated 2026) note impressive capabilities but flag unproven home timelines (targeted late 2026), high costs, and the need for real-world validation beyond controlled demos, describing it as credible yet high-risk; recent commentary also contrasts Figure's volume with Chinese competitors' higher shipments.

Reddit r/robotics+4

Independent voices in robotics argue that Figure's focus on general-purpose humanoids overlooks more practical specialized robots for many tasks, as humanoids often underutilize capacity on simple jobs and face inherent challenges like balancing and dexterity at scale. @drpeepee notes that 'ask any eng in robotics and humanoids are not the right form factor for most tasks,' contrasting Figure's generalized approach with specialization. @jenzhuscott contrasts Figure's bipedal design with wheeled alternatives offering better stability, battery life, safety, and cheaper data collection via gloves, arguing the latter enables near-term real-home deployment while Figure pursues sci-fi generality. Similar form-factor questions appear in X discussions and HN threads on Figure 03 demos, with recent commentary echoing inefficiency concerns for large-scale manufacturing.

X (Twitter) @drpeepee+2