Close Menu
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

What's On

The Best Tech for Back to School

19 August 2025

Update: Fake Account Claims God Of War Developer Sony Santa Monica Is Working On A New ‘Technically Ambitious’ IP

19 August 2025

How Microschools Became the Latest Tech Mogul Obsession

19 August 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Just In
  • The Best Tech for Back to School
  • Update: Fake Account Claims God Of War Developer Sony Santa Monica Is Working On A New ‘Technically Ambitious’ IP
  • How Microschools Became the Latest Tech Mogul Obsession
  • An Account Using the Same Name as Trump’s BLS Pick Posted Red-Pilled Conspiracy Theories
  • WIRED Roundup: Why GPT-5 Flopped
  • Jackery’s Explorer 1000 Portable Battery Is $350 Off
  • The West Texas Measles Outbreak Has Ended
  • Update: Likely Fake Account Claims God Of War Developer Sony Santa Monica Is Working On A New ‘Technically Ambitious’ IP
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release
Subscribe
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
Home » First Bipedal Robots With Hands Coming to BMW Factory
AI

First Bipedal Robots With Hands Coming to BMW Factory

News RoomBy News Room23 January 20243 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

BMW has signed a first-of-its-kind deal to put “humanoid” robots to work at one of its factories. The robots, which are designed to be more operationally flexible than traditional industrial robots, will supposedly assist the luxury car manufacturer with various parts of the manufacturing process.

The robots in question were designed by California robotics firm FigureAI and are described as being “general purpose”—meaning they can be used for any number of physical tasks. The bipedal bot, which is simply dubbed the “Figure 01,” stands 5’6″ tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has five-fingered hands that the company claims can be used to physically construct objects. On its YouTube channel, Figure has a video of the robot making coffee. Another video shows the bot swiftly walking across a room using its two sturdy legs.

That said, it’s not entirely clear what the bots will actually be doing in this case. The related press release speaks of the “deployment of humanoid robots in an automotive manufacturing environment” and claims the robots will focus on “difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks,” all of which sounds pretty vague.

The press release further states that, as part of the first phase of the deal, the two companies will work together to “identify initial use cases to apply the Figure robots in automotive production.” Again, the wording here sorta makes it sound like both companies are a bit unclear on what the robots will actually be doing. After the two firms finally agree on what the Figure 01 can do, some of the bots will be deployed to one of BMW’s manufacturing facilities in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

“Single-purpose robotics have saturated the commercial market for decades, but the potential of general-purpose robotics is completely untapped,” said Figure’s CEO Brett Adcock. “Figure’s robots will enable companies to increase productivity, reduce costs, and create a safer and more consistent environment.”

Figure has been steadily unveiling photos and videos of its new worker:

Tech companies throughout the world are currently in a race to churn out the first generation of “humanoid” robots. While robots have helped out in factories and warehouses for years, the human form factor of this newer iteration of robots is thought to have many added benefits for more complicated forms of industrial work. This has, of course, spurred concerns that the robots will (eventually) take a lot of human jobs. Figure’s CEO has claimed that his company has no interest in taking jobs away from people—which is, of course, what he would say.

Gizmodo reached out to Figure for more details about the deal and will update this story if it responds.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleLakers vs Clippers live stream: Can you watch the NBA game for free?
Next Article The Netflix Pivot Is Complete

Related Articles

AI

Doom vs Boom: The Battle to Enshrine AI’s Future Into California Law

24 June 2024
AI

Perplexity Is Reportedly Letting Its AI Break a Basic Rule of the Internet

20 June 2024
AI

Anthropic Says New Claude 3.5 AI Model Outperforms GPT-4 Omni

20 June 2024
AI

Call Centers Introduce ‘Emotion Canceling’ AI as a ‘Mental Shield’ for Workers

18 June 2024
AI

AI Turns Classic Memes Into Hideously Animated Garbage

17 June 2024
AI

May ‘AI’ Take Your Order? McDonald’s Says Not Yet

17 June 2024
Demo
Top Articles

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024105 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views

Every iPhone release in chronological order: 2007-2024

29 January 202486 Views

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Latest News
News

Jackery’s Explorer 1000 Portable Battery Is $350 Off

News Room18 August 2025
News

The West Texas Measles Outbreak Has Ended

News Room18 August 2025
Gaming

Update: Likely Fake Account Claims God Of War Developer Sony Santa Monica Is Working On A New ‘Technically Ambitious’ IP

News Room18 August 2025
Most Popular

The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman

13 January 2025129 Views

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024105 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views
Our Picks

An Account Using the Same Name as Trump’s BLS Pick Posted Red-Pilled Conspiracy Theories

18 August 2025

WIRED Roundup: Why GPT-5 Flopped

18 August 2025

Jackery’s Explorer 1000 Portable Battery Is $350 Off

18 August 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
© 2025 Best in Technology. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.