When Figure AI, a high-profile humanoid robot startup, announced a commercial agreement with automaker BMW early last year, it was a signal to venture investors and the rest of the robotics industry that the young company was one of the innovators to watch – and to beat – in this cutting edge sector.
Recent comments by Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock, along with videos produced by the company, gave the impression that a new era of robo-manufacturing was firmly at hand. But a closer look at the details of the partnership reveals a far more modest affair – at least currently – that suggests Figure’s humanoid car-building workforce may be as much hype as reality and which raises questions about the sincerity of Adcock’s comments.
