- The Rundown Robotics
- Posts
- Figure fast-tracks its home robot
Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. Robotics major Figure is bringing its humanoids into the home—with plans to start testing *as soon as this year*.
Figure is charging toward a $39.5B valuation and evolving faster than ever. But are humanoids ready to leave controlled factory floors and step into the messy chaos of our homes?
In today’s robotics rundown:
Figure fast-tracking home humanoids
Beijing pouring billions on robot ambitions
The shape-shifting ‘GOAT’ robot
Harvard’s walking-jumping bug bot
Quick hits on other robotics news
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
FIGURE
Image source: Figure
The Rundown: Just days after launching the Helix AI system for humanoids, California-based robotics company Figure revealed plans to bring its robots into homes this year—two years ahead of the original schedule.
The details:
CEO Brett Adcock posted on X that he intends to start carrying out alpha tests using the latest iteration of its robot, Figure 02.
He said that the accelerated timeline is a direct result of integrating Helix, the company’s proprietary “generalist” Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model.
The model integrates visual data and language commands, allowing robots to understand speech and handle unfamiliar objects end-to-end.
These advances unlocked Figure’s second customer use case in just 30 days while also leading the company to end its OpenAI partnership.
Why it matters: Figure is pushing its humanoid robot business forward at breakneck speed, but bringing these machines from industrial settings into homes won’t be easy. While still in its early stages, Figure appears to be pulling ahead of rivals like Apptronik and Tesla, many of whom still rely on remote operation rather than true autonomy.
CHINA
Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown
The Rundown: In response to the U.S. ramping up its AI and robotics efforts, Beijing committed up to CNY 100B ($13.7B) to fast-track key research and industrialization projects—strengthening its bid for leadership in the two sectors.
The details:
Beijing aims to achieve over 100 technological breakthroughs and develop at least 10 world-leading software and hardware products by 2027.
As part of this, the city will focus on deploying 10,000 robots with embodied intelligence, which is AI capable of learning and making decisions in real time.
These robots will be initially utilized in domains like scientific research, auto manufacturing, retail, home services, and elderly care.
Beijing also plans to “nurture 50 core enterprises along the industrial chain,” according to Chinese media outlet Yicai Global.
Why it matters: Beijing is home to around 2,400 AI-focused enterprises, with its core AI industry surpassing $41.2B in value last year. This initiative, along with the development of its AI city, E-Town, underscores the city's commitment to funding its ambitions of becoming a global leader in AI and robotics.
EPFL
Image source: CREATE EPFL
The Rundown: Researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) School of Engineering developed Good Over All Terrains (GOAT), a robot that can change its shape on the fly to move faster over different terrains.
The details:
Inspired by how animals move in nature, GOAT can switch between a flat 'rover' and a sphere configuration to drive, roll, and even swim across different paths.
The robot's frame is made from low-cost materials—two crossed elastic fiberglass rods with four motorized rimless wheels.
Most interestingly, it uses only a satellite navigation system and an orientation-measuring device to determine the optimal path. No cameras/sensors onboard.
In field testing, GOAT navigated a 2.8-mile path through mountains, water, and urban areas, outperforming multimodal robots, the team said.
Why it matters: The GOAT robot’s bio-inspired design can navigate unpredictable terrain efficiently with limited environmental knowledge—and by adapting its shape, it can conserve energy. While more work needs to be done, the team envisions it could prove useful for environmental monitoring and disaster response.
HARVARD
Image source: Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory
The Rundown: Inspired by the remarkable jumping abilities of springtail arthropods, Harvard University researchers developed a 1.7-inch micro-robot that can jump a whopping 23 times its own body length.
The details:
The bot has a robotic version of the springtail's furcula, a tail-like, spring-loaded appendage that is folded in beneath its body, held under tension.
When the furcula’s latch-mediated spring is released, the robot flings into the air, executing powerful jumps.
Based on the Harvard Ambulatory MicroRobot platform, the tiny bot achieved a maximum jumping distance of 1.4m, far more than any same-sized insect.
The bot can also walk swiftly, using its four ceramic actuator-powered legs to achieve speeds of up to 8.4 body lengths per second.
Why it matters: The robot's jumping mechanism activates in just 14 milliseconds, mimicking the speed of a natural springtail, and it can even manipulate objects and scuttle across water. What sets this micro-bot apart is its versatility, making it a good candidate for future search and rescue missions and even space exploration.
QUICK HITS
📰 Everything else in robotics today
NASA sent an ice-hunting drill to the Moon’s south pole to search for frozen water reservoirs—an essential step in its plan to send humans there in 2027.
The viral video of a Unitree humanoid nearly attacking a bystander at the Spring Festival Gala in China sparked fresh debate about robot safety.
China’s Wuhan Glory Road Intelligent Technology Co. recently unveiled its heavy-lifting Laborer-1 humanoid, designed to carry loads ranging from 88 to 132 lbs.
Chinese researchers developed a new self-powered biosensor that can detect E. coli bacteria in drinking water and autonomously destroy it.
UK robotics company ULC Technologies signed a deal to design and develop a new robotic system for solar panel installation, potentially revolutionizing the field.
Vancouver-based Nexera Robotics secured $4.5M to further improve its tech aimed at enabling robots to interact with diverse objects more reliably.
German researchers found that humanoids with “eyes” are more likely perceived by humans as having a mind and being capable of expressing emotions.
COMMUNITY
We just did a full workshop on how to take full advantage of Claude 3.7 Sonnet’s frontier reasoning capabilities, along with advanced prompting strategies with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor.
Watch it here. Not a member yet? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.
That's it for today!Before you go we'd love to know what you thought of today's newsletter to help us improve The Rundown experience for you. |
See you soon,
Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team