# Is a human piloting a Figure 03?

**Is a Human Piloting a Figure 03? (2026)** · Last verified Jul 26, 2026. 3 sources.

**Not the way a 1X NEO is. Figure's disclosed operating model is on-board autonomy through its Helix AI under human supervision, recorded as supervised, not the remote VR teleoperation the NEO openly uses. And Figure 03 is a workplace robot, so the home version of this question does not really apply.** This question matters because it is where Figure and the 1X NEO genuinely diverge. NEO discloses that a remote operator in a VR headset takes control in Expert Mode, a person driving the robot by sight. Figure discloses a different model: the Figure 03 runs on Helix, its own vision-language-action AI, on-board, and the record classifies its autonomy as supervised, meaning a human oversees the system rather than piloting each motion remotely. That is a real, checkable distinction: on-board supervised autonomy is not the same as remote teleoperation, and Figure has not disclosed a NEO-style in-home remote-operator model. Two honest caveats keep this from being a clean win. First, supervised is not autonomous: a human is still in the loop, watching and able to intervene, and Figure has not published a precise autonomy figure the way 1X estimates 60 to 70 percent. Second, and most important, Figure 03 is a commercial workplace robot, not a home product, so the loaded version of the question, is a stranger piloting the robot in my house, does not arise, because there is no Figure 03 in a house. We report the disclosed on-board supervised model and mark what Figure has not quantified. This is general information, not purchasing advice.

## Quick answers

- **Is a remote human piloting it like a NEO?**: No, on-board supervised
- **Is it fully autonomous, then?**: No, supervised; no figure disclosed
- **What AI runs it?**: Figure's Helix model
- **Could someone pilot it in my home?**: Moot, not a home robot

## Short answer

The reason people ask this about the Figure 03 is the 1X NEO, which openly admits a remote operator drives it in Expert Mode. Figure discloses a different model. The Figure 03 runs on Helix, Figure's own vision-language-action AI, on-board, and the record classifies it as supervised autonomy: a human oversees the robot rather than remotely piloting each move. So the honest, checkable answer is that Figure 03 is not remote-piloted the way [a NEO is](/home-robots/neo-is-a-human-watching.md), and Figure has disclosed no in-home remote-operator model. Two things keep that from being a bragging point. Supervised is not the same as autonomous, a human is still watching and can step in, and Figure has not put a number on how much the robot does alone. And the whole framing bends because Figure 03 is [a workplace robot, not a home one](/home-robots/is-figure-03-a-home-robot.md), so the scary version, a stranger piloting a robot in your living room, has no Figure 03 to attach to. We report the disclosed on-board supervised model, flag what Figure has not quantified, and keep the workplace-versus-home distinction front and center. This is general information, not purchasing advice.

## What actually exists today

| What people ask about | Status | The reality |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remote VR teleoperation like the NEO | No, not disclosed | Verified difference. Figure's disclosed model is on-board Helix under supervision, and Figure has disclosed no NEO-style remote-operator-in-VR model. On-board supervised is not remote piloting. |
| What AI runs the robot | Figure's Helix model | Verified. Figure 03 runs Helix, Figure's own vision-language-action model, on-board. The autonomy is classed as supervised on the record. |
| Fully autonomous with no human | No, supervised | No. Supervised means a human oversees the system and can intervene. Figure has not published a precise autonomy percentage, so we do not present one. |
| A human piloting it in your home | Moot, not a home robot | Not applicable. Figure 03 is a commercial workplace robot with no home deployment, so there is no in-home operator model to disclose or worry about. |
| Data-collection teleoperation for training | Not disclosed either way | Undisclosed. Humanoid makers commonly teleoperate for training data, but Figure has published no specific policy we can cite for the 03. We state that rather than assume or deny it. |

## How to read Figure 03's control model

The contrast with the NEO is real and easy to over-claim. Hold the disclosed difference and the honest limits together.

- **The real difference: On-board supervised, not remote-piloted**: Figure discloses on-board autonomy via Helix under supervision, and no NEO-style remote-operator model. That is a genuine, checkable distinction in how the two robots are run, and it is fair to note.
- **The limit: Supervised is not autonomous**: A human still oversees the Figure 03 and can intervene, and Figure has not quantified how much it does alone. We do not upgrade supervised into a fully autonomous claim, or invent an autonomy figure.
- **The reframe: It is a workplace robot**: Figure 03 is not in homes, so the frightening version of this question, a stranger piloting a robot in your house, has no target. The distinction matters most as a contrast that helps read the NEO.
- **Where it stands: Waiting on specifics**: If Figure publishes an autonomy figure or a data-collection teleoperation policy, this page gets a dated update. Until then, the disclosed model is on-board supervised autonomy, and the rest is stated as absent.

## What would change this

We track Figure 03 against [the verified record](https://registry.deploy.report/models/figure-03) so you do not have to. Any one of these moves the answer, and each becomes a dated line the week it happens:

- Figure publishes a precise autonomy figure for the Figure 03, or a data-collection teleoperation policy.
- Figure discloses an in-home or remote-operator model for a consumer version.
- An independent assessment measures how much the Figure 03 does without human intervention.
- Figure changes the operating model away from on-board supervised autonomy.
- Scrutiny of how a humanoid is controlled tends to follow real incidents. Right now the verified record holdszero safety incidentsfor the Figure 03, and every new one is logged the week it lands.

## How we know this

Figure 03's on-board Helix operation and its supervised autonomy class are on the verified DEPLOY record. That it discloses no NEO-style remote-operator model is an absence on the record, stated as such. We do not assert a blanket no-teleoperation policy Figure has not published, and we do not invent an autonomy percentage.

- [Figure 03: the verified registry record (Helix, supervised autonomy)](https://registry.deploy.report/models/figure-03) (live)
- [Figure AI: the maker record](https://registry.deploy.report/companies/figure-ai) (live)
- [Is a human watching through a 1X NEO? (the remote-operator contrast)](/home-robots/neo-is-a-human-watching.md) (live)

If Figure publishes an autonomy figure or a teleoperation policy, or if you can show us we got something wrong, our corrections process logs the response on the record.

## Common questions

### Is a human piloting a Figure 03?

Not the way a 1X NEO is. Figure's disclosed model is on-board autonomy through its Helix AI under human supervision, recorded as supervised, not remote VR teleoperation. Figure has disclosed no NEO-style in-home remote-operator model, and Figure 03 is a workplace robot rather than a home one, so the in-home version of the question does not arise.

### Is the Figure 03 fully autonomous?

No. It is supervised: a human oversees the robot and can intervene. Figure has not published a precise autonomy percentage the way 1X estimates 60 to 70 percent for the NEO, so we describe the model as on-board supervised autonomy without attaching a number Figure has not disclosed.

### How is Figure 03's control different from the 1X NEO's?

The NEO discloses a remote operator in a VR headset who takes control in Expert Mode. The Figure 03 runs Helix on-board under human supervision, with no disclosed remote-operator model. On-board supervised autonomy and remote teleoperation are genuinely different ways to run a robot.

### Does Figure teleoperate the robot to collect training data?

Undisclosed. Humanoid makers commonly use teleoperation to gather training data, but Figure has published no specific policy for the Figure 03 that we can cite. We report that as an honest absence rather than assume or deny it.

## Keep reading

- [Which home robot discloses the most about your privacy?](/home-robots/most-transparent-home-robot.md): Where Figure's on-board model sits.

_Canonical URL: /home-robots/figure-03-teleoperation. HTML version: [link](/home-robots/figure-03-teleoperation)._