OpenAI-Enhanced Robot Delivers Food, Cleans Up Trash, Organizes Dishes, and Performs Various Tasks

Despite concerns about the costs and accuracy of generative AI, the robotics sector is entering a transformative phase.

Today, Figure, a robotics startup valued at $2.6 billion and founded by former employees from Boston Dynamics, Tesla, Google DeepMind, and Archer Aviation, unveiled its collaboration with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Their first project, the Figure 01 humanoid robot, is truly impressive.

In a recent video demo posted by Figure co-founder and CEO Brett Adcock on the platform X, the Figure 01 showcases its ability to interact with humans and its environment. The robot responds to commands, retrieves objects (like an apple), and engages in basic conversation—even if its responses are slightly delayed compared to human interaction. Additionally, it can independently complete tasks, such as picking up trash and loading dishes into a drying rack.

The demo opens with a person asking, “Hey Figure One, what do you see right now?” The robot responds, “I see a red apple on the 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.” When the human requests something to eat, the robot efficiently grasps the apple and hands it over, recognizing it as the only edible item on the table.

Adcock shared that Figure’s onboard cameras interface with a large vision-language model (VLM) trained by OpenAI, though it remains unclear if this model is based on GPT-4 or another variant. We have reached out to OpenAI for more information and will update when we receive a response.

Significantly, Adcock emphasized that the video demonstrates genuine capabilities without any remote control or speed adjustments—showcasing smooth, continuous motion. This represents a marked advancement in humanoid robotics, illustrating a natural interaction between the robot and user.

However, this demo highlights a prototype, indicating that more development is needed before commercial deployment. Adcock envisions creating humanoid robots that could operate at a billion-unit scale, aiming to make a positive societal impact by taking over hazardous or undesirable jobs.

In his vision statement, Adcock articulates that Figure aims to enhance human life while avoiding military or harmful applications. The progress made by Figure, backed by OpenAI, increases competition in the humanoid robotics space, challenging companies like Tesla, which is developing its Optimus project, and Agility, a startup collaborating with Amazon. New entrants like Hugging Face have also emerged, seeking to innovate in this rapidly expanding field.