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This marks the first commercial deal Figure has signed since it
was founded in 2022. While the company didn't disclose how many
robots BMW will be using, the partnership will start with small
quantities and expand if performance targets have been met,
according to Brett Adcock, chief executive at Figure.
Figure's humanoids will be deployed in BMW's manufacturing
facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the largest automotive
exporter in the U.S., which currently employees 11,000 people.
They will be integrated into the manufacturing processes
including the body shop, sheet metal and warehouse in the next
12-24 months, after being trained to perform specific tasks.
"We have designed the robot to be safe next to humans. Working
with BMW on automation in a manufacturing facility is a huge
validator for us in the space," Adcock said.
Car makers from Honda to Hyundai have been experimenting with
humanoid robots to perform repetitive and dangerous work in
assembly lines for years. Tesla recently released its latest
humanoid in development, Optimus Gen 2, and Chief Executive Elon
Musk predicted a billion humanoid robots on earth in the 2040s.
General-purpose humanoid robots with artificial
intelligence-powered software have received renewed interest
from investors as they have the potential to move in a wide
range of motion and learn to perform new tasks like humans do.
Robots currently in use are generally created for specific
tasks, and it is not clear if a more flexible robot able to
perform a broader array of services will prove viable in a
real-life environment.
Sunnyvale, California-based Figure has raised $70 million from
investors last year, led by Parkway Venture at a valuation of
more than $400 million.
(Reporting by Krystal Hu in New York; Edited by Peter Henderson
and Jacqueline Wong)
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