We are so close to the age of human robots becoming a commercial product. Several companies are already developing their own models, and one that's most popular is Tesla's Optimus. However, it looks like Figure AI might be winning the race with its new demonstration.
Figure AI's Humanoid Robot
The AI company behind the development of the humanoid robot has reached a level that makes its machine jump its way to the top. Other than its impressive dexterity, the robot also shows the ability to understand speech, which can be used to give it commands.
The advancement has likely been expedited with Figure AI's collaboration with OpenAI, with the latter investing $675 million in the robotics company just last week for the second round of funding, making Figure AI now worth $2.6 billion, as reported by Interesting Engineering.
With the video showing the robot's progress, Figure made good on its announcement that it will "develop next-generation AI models for humanoid robots." According to the company, the demonstration shows the power of neural networks.
When asked what it sees, the robot described the setting in detail. "I see a red apple on a plate in the center of the table, a drying rack with cups and a plate, and you standing nearby with your hand on the table."
The tester then asked if he could have something to eat, and the robot immediately processed that the apple was considered as food and offered it to the person. The video even showed that the humanoid robot was capable of multitasking.
It was asked to explain why it did what it did while cleaning up the trash that was dumped in front of it. While cleaning up, the robot explained that it gave the apple because it was the only food on the table. There was even a human-like stutter in between the sentences.
"So, I gave you the Apple because it's the only, uh, edible item I could provide you with from the table." Next, the robot was asked where the dishes should be placed next based on the scene, and it said that it would go to the drying rack, proceeding to place the items as identified.
This shows just how advanced we are in the development of robotics. With speech-to-speech reasoning, humans will be able to communicate with robots through voice control, without the need for remote controls, apps, or limited programmed capabilities.
What This Could Mean
As impressive as it is, it can be perceived as both a good and a bad thing, depending on one's perspective. On one hand, robots can be seen as a threat to human jobs, especially since they will be cheaper to use in the long run.
However, they can also serve as alternatives to human workers who are assigned dangerous jobs. It can also improve productivity as well as solve labor shortages. For now, humanoid robots are still being developed, and regulations can be put in place so that they won't affect human jobs in the future.
