First country seeks approval to deploy army of 100,000 humanoid robots to confront China

Whether we like it or not, for better or worse, new technologies are changing our lives. The latest advancements have brought significant shifts, from the smallest details to major developments across all fields. Artificial intelligence is a prime example – perhaps the most recent one.

But robots, in all their forms and applications, are part of this transformation as well. A kitchen robot can prepare meals, while another can clean the house at the press of a button. In the realm of household tasks, a Chinese company, Zhiyuan Robotics, recently announced it had begun mass-producing humanoid robots, with the goal of reaching 1,000 units by the end of the year.

Which countries are battling for robot domination?

In this technological race, one of China’s main competitors is the United States. One of the country’s leading robotics firms, Figure AI, has just secured a deal with a major business partner to ramp up large-scale production of humanoid robots designed for everyday life. According to the company’s CEO, Brett Adcock, up to 100,000 humanoid robots are expected to be manufactured and shipped over the next four years.

The specifics of the agreement remain undisclosed, but Adcock, the company’s founder, has stated that the deal involves “one of the largest companies in the United States.” Previously, Figure AI had already signed a collaboration agreement with German car manufacturer BMW. This latest partnership, Adcock says, will “drive cost reduction and AI data collection.”

Through a LinkedIn post, the CEO outlined some details of the deal and the company’s next steps. As he explained, the company is focusing on two clear markets: commercial operations - such as manufacturing and logistics – and household applications. In the commercial sector, Figure AI is adopting a strategy centered on “a small number of clients. Initially, it is more efficient for us to grow vertically within a few clients rather than spreading ourselves too thin.”

AI-powered robotics advancements

For the domestic market, this new agreement paves the way for humanoid robots to assist with tasks such as moving house or more delicate responsibilities like healthcare. So far, Figure AI has introduced two different versions. The first, named Figure 01, was launched just 31 months after the company’s founding. It was later followed by Figure 02, while a third version is already in development in the company’s lab.

The initial model, launched in January 2024, operated at just 17% of an average walking speed. With the current version, that pace has increased sevenfold, reaching a speed of 3.94 feet per second (1.2 m/sec) or 2.68 miles per hour (3.68 km/h). Artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in these advancements.

“Last week, we successfully ran an end-to-end neural network for our new client’s use case. Learning through AI is the only way forward here, as writing heuristics would be impossible,” Adcock explained.

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