This robot has previously proved capable of handling objects with dexterity and even making coffee, and now it can talk!
Figure 01 is probably today’s most advanced humanoid robot. By teaming up with OpenAI, the American manufacturer Figure was able to integrate ChatGPT into its robot, enabling it to answer (almost) any question.
In a video posted online, Figure demonstrates the skills of its AI-powered robot. Standing in front of a countertop, it answers various questions posed by a human.
In this way, it can describe what is placed on the table and what it can do with it. In the example posted online, it gives an apple to the person asking the questions and then stacks dishes on a drainer.
When it was unveiled in 2023, Figure 01 soon caused a sensation, billing itself as one of the most advanced robots ever created.
With a build comparable to a human (1.70 m for 60 kg), it can move at 4 km/h and carry up to 20 kg.
A significant detail is that it is equipped with articulated fingers, rather than grippers like many other robots of its kind. Thanks to ChatGPT, it will be able to learn new tasks, as well as converse with different people.
Figure is not the only start-up working on this type of sophisticated humanoid robot. Recently, the Canadian start-up Sanctuary AI caused a stir with a video of Phoenix, a highly agile and intelligent robot capable of reproducing very precise gestures to assist humans in arduous, dangerous or high-precision tasks.
In theory, it should be able to reproduce any gesture a human is capable of, thanks to its built-in artificial intelligence, which enables it to learn and adapt to new situations.
Projects of this kind are multiplying, especially in North America and China. In addition to Figure and Sanctuary AI, Tesla has already presented its Optimus robot, Boston Dynamics is working on various projects – including Atlas, a kind of super-powered robot worker – while China’s Xiaomi is working on a robot capable of recognising individuals as well as their expressions and emotions.