Figure, which develops humanoid robots that can perform common work tasks, raised $675 million in Series B funding last Thursday. It is now valued at $2.6 billion. Among its investors, the company names Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia and Jeff Bezos personally.
The company, which is just 21 months old, aims to develop humanoid robots that “can free people from having to work in unsafe or harsh conditions.”
Figure said it will use the additional funding to expand artificial intelligence training, produce more skilled robots, expand its workforce and continue efforts to commercialize its robots.
Figure, whose team includes experts from Tesla and Google DeepMind, was able to enter into an agreement with developer OpenAI to combine its research with Figure’s robotics hardware and software to develop next-generation artificial intelligence models for humanoid robots. The partnership is aimed at accelerating the commercialization of Figure’s developments, as it should improve the ability of robots to process information and make the right conclusions.
It is worth noting that even before the official launch of working samples of robots, the company signed a commercial agreement with the automaker BMW on the introduction of humanoid robots into car production.
Other companies working in the field of humanoid robotics have also achieved significant success. Among them are the Canadian company Sanctuary AI, which created the Phoenix robot, and Tesla, which developed the Optimus model. Another company, Agility Robotics, created the Digit model and entered into a contract with Amazon, which plans to open the world’s first factory for mass production of humanoid robots.
