2024/08/08 08:32
OpenAI's version of the Terminator is here! Figure 02, the strongest robot on the surface, came out and entered the BMW for 20 hours
2024/08/08 08:32
Known as OpenAI's second-generation robot "Figure 02", it's really here!
Just now, Figure AI has finally officially announced the second generation of humanoid robots, which have completely changed their new image - a black appearance and more flexible five fingers.
Founder Brett Adcock said, "This is the 'strongest humanoid robot on the surface'!"
It is worth mentioning that the design review for Figure 02 took 18 months to complete.
According to reports, the iterated Figure hand has 16 degrees of freedom and is able to withstand forces comparable to those of humans.
Now it has entered the BMW factory and started to work, and can work endlessly for 20 hours.
Figure 02 can also directly open "voice conversations" with humans, which still uses OpenAI's most advanced custom AI model to conduct inference through speech-to-speech.
Similar to the original, it has an on-board visual model (VLM) that can be used to complete visual reasoning through the camera.
Last year, the original robot Figure 01, also with the blessing of OpenAI's large model, was able to see, hear, and follow human instructions.
Not only that, behind this star start-up, it has also received joint investment from Nvidia, Ultraman, Bezos and other bigwigs.
Today, the engineering and design teams have completed a hardware and software redesign from scratch on Figure 02.
Among them, great progress has been made in key technologies including artificial intelligence, computer vision, batteries, electronic devices, sensors and actuators:
Speech-to-speech: Custom AI models connected via built-in microphones and speakers enable conversations with humans
Camera: AI vision system powered by 6 built-in RGB cameras
Hands: The fourth-generation hands have 16 degrees of freedom and the same strength as humans
Built-in VLM: Enables robot cameras to perform fast, common-sense visual reasoning
Battery: A 2.25 kWh custom battery pack inside the robot's torso provides more than 50% of the energy
A more streamlined look
The Figure 02 robot is similar in height to its predecessor, Figure 01, but has been improved in many ways.
The most noticeable change is that the robot's "skin" has a matte black exterior instead of Figure 01's chrome finish.
The previous robot looked like it was wearing armor, while Figure 02 looks like a modern sports car, with streamlined curves and a refined look.
Another part of the change is the cables. In Figure 01, cables are deliberately placed on the outside of the fuselage to support test fixtures, replace sensors and motors, and expedite repairs.
In Figure 02, all cables are integrated into the limbs, protecting them from the environment and preparing them for long hours on the production line.
Figure AI says the new robot has a 50% larger battery capacity than Figure 01 and is able to work longer in real-world deployments. The battery has been integrated into the humanoid robot's torso, bringing its center of gravity closer to the centerline position, making the robot more flexible.
Figure AI also customized the motors, integrated with the joint drivetrain, to optimize the power and performance of each joint.
One of the challenges in robot design is the reliable routing of rotating joints.
As we can see, Figure 02's four main joint groups of shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, are designed to be very simple and solve this problem perfectly.
Be ready to receive voice commands
The training of AI models determines the core of the robot's intelligence and capabilities, so the collaboration between Figure AI and OpenAI can be described as "a tiger with wings", which can quickly test, validate, and iterate on the robot's voice interaction capabilities.
Long before the release of GPT-4o, Figure AI's video showed how robots interact with humans through voice commands, and the newly released Figure 02 can also have conversations with humans through microphones and speakers with the blessing of OpenAI's custom model.
According to Figure AI, Figure 02 has 3x more computing and AI inference power, allowing it to perform tasks completely autonomously in the real world.
The new model is equipped with six RGB cameras for perceiving the physical world, in addition to an in-vehicle visual language model capable of rapid common-sense visual reasoning.
The vision model is able to process all on-board images for perception, obstacle avoidance, and most importantly, hand-eye coordination so that the robot can recognize and pick up objects in front of it.
In addition, compared to Figure 01, Figure 02 has three times the on-board computing power and AI inference capabilities. This allows the robot to perform actual AI tasks completely autonomously.
Here, the AI data engine provides the latest AI models and runs them directly on the device's GPU.
Manipulate objects that can be grasped by a human hand
Since its inception, Figure AI has invested heavily in the design and functionality of robotic hands.
The result is a state-of-the-art design that not only has sixteen degrees of freedom (DoF) but is also capable of carrying objects up to 25 kg (55.1 lbs).
At the same time, the appearance of these "hands" is very similar to that of humans - with four fingers and a thumb.
Specifically, each finger is driven by an integrated unit that includes sensors and motors.
The wrist is another novel design that provides a range of motion similar to that of the human wrist while encapsulating and directing all the electrical and sensing signal lines to the hand and fingers.
According to Figure AI, their goal is to enable robots to manipulate any object that a human hand can grasp.
The funds are abundant, but the humanoid robot track is highly competitive
Figure AI initially got rid of the "stealth" mode in March 2023 and launched the general-purpose humanoid robot Figure 01, hoping to be applied to multiple industries such as industrial manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail to solve the problem of labor shortages on a global scale.
According to founder Adcock's vision, robots can take on unsafe and undesirable tasks for humans, building a more automated and efficient future. And he insisted that Figure AI's technology would never be weaponized.
It's hard to imagine that Figure AI's first generation of full-scale robots was built in just 6 months, and it has to be said that it was thanks to a strong team of 40 industry experts, including CTO Jerry Pratt.
As an investment darling in early 2024, Figure AI has raised $675 million so far.
With abundant capital, co-founder and CEO Brett Adcock is moving at full speed with the goal of bringing autonomous bipedal robots to the market in the next 2~5 years.
In fact, earlier this year, Figure AI was already tested at a BMW factory in South Carolina. Here, the data trained by the AI model is collected.
In the demonstration, we can see that the robot fully demonstrates the ability to operate in an industrial environment and can also learn to perform basic tasks.
Of course, in this increasingly volatile track, other competitors are not idle.
Digit of Agility Robotics and Apollo of Apptronik have long deployed their robots to GXO Logistics for simple tasks.
Musk's Optimus was also "devolved" to the Tesla factory very early; Boston Dynamics is also interested in testing the latest version of the Atlas in a modern facility.
We've seen all kinds of humanoid robots in science fiction stories for a long time, but they've been slow to roll out commercial products.
On the one hand, it is limited by the research environment, and on the other hand, the design is very expensive.
However, the development of LLMs and multimodal AI models has changed all that! If the model can quickly analyze real-time video and audio inputs, and can respond with human-like audio and action, then the scene in science fiction is obviously not far away.
Musk, who owns Optimus, recently boldly predicted that there is a market for more than 10 billion humanoid robots on the planet, which means that everyone will have more than one robot in the future.
In addition, NVIDIA's GR00T project is also underway, demonstrating the progress of AI in guiding humanoid robots.
In this video posted by Jim Fan, a human remote operator can guide the robot through the correct movements by wearing an Apple Vision Pro.
Rapid QA
Since the official did not reveal much information, the foreign media IEEE Spectrum found Michael Rose, the control director of Figure, and Vadim Chernyak, the hardware director, and did a wave of rapid QA.
Q: How many parts does Figure 02 have? Are these all?
A: There are hundreds of unique parts, for a total of several thousand. No, that's not all.
Q: Does Figure 02 leave a Figure logo every step I take?
A: If the surface is soft enough, yes.
Q: Is it difficult to do "replaceable legs", or is it easier because you only need to make one leg?
A: We chose to make replaceable legs for ease of manufacturing.
Q: Is the battery pack also replaceable?
A: Our batteries are replaceable, but it is not a quick replacement process.
Q: Figure 02: What is the soft-looking thing behind the knee and at the elbow joint?
A: These are soft stoppers that limit the range of motion in a controlled manner and prevent the robot from pinching.
Q: Where did you hide the thumb motor?
A: The thumb is now fully contained in the hand.
Q: What is the "skin" on the neck?
A: This skin is a soft fabric that maintains a clean and seamless appearance even when the robot moves its head.
Q: When Figure 02's head turns, its body also turns, and its arms move. Is this necessary, or is it just for aesthetic reasons?
A: Just for aesthetic reasons.
Q: The upper body and shoulders appear much narrower than other humanoid robots. Why is it designed this way?
A: We think it's important to design the robot to a human-like proportion. This allows us to accomplish the target use case and make it easier to adapt to the environment.
Q: How is the gait of Figure 02 designed?
A: The robot uses a model predictive controller to determine the position of the footsteps and the force required to maintain balance to follow a predetermined trajectory.
Q: How long does 2.25 kWh run in those tasks in the video?
A: Our goal is to keep the product running for 5 hours
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