How fast is humanoid robotics improving?

A Figure 02 humanoid ran a body-shop trial at BMW's Spartanburg plant, positioning sheet metal parts for welding and supporting the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles per BMW's account. BMW says it is now evaluating additional use cases for the newer Figure 03. This is the most advanced third-party humanoid work on the record, moving from prototype toward production use.

At the We, Robot event in October 2024, Tesla demonstrated Optimus robots walking among guests, serving drinks, and dancing. Elon Musk later acknowledged that some demonstrations were teleoperated (remote-controlled by humans), not fully autonomous. The event showed the hardware capability but raised questions about the autonomy level, which Musk attributed to the teleop setup.

Agility Robotics deployed the Digit bipedal robot at GXO Logistics for warehouse tasks including tote moving. Digit is the first bipedal (not full humanoid) robot deployed in commercial logistics. The deployment at GXO began as a pilot and has expanded, attributed to Agility Robotics and GXO announcements.

Unitree Robotics, the Hangzhou-based robot maker, shipped the H1 (adult-size humanoid) and G1 (compact humanoid) platforms at prices that made them accessible to research labs and developers. The G1 starts at approximately $16,000, making it one of the most affordable humanoid platforms on the market. Unitree's platforms have been used in locomotion research and agility demonstrations.

Boston Dynamics revealed the all-electric Atlas in April 2024, replacing the hydraulic Atlas that had been in development since 2013. The electric Atlas is lighter, stronger, and designed for commercial deployment at Hyundai factories. The reveal video showed Atlas performing tasks including pick-and-place and push-ups with a range of motion beyond the hydraulic version.

In December 2023, Tesla released video of the Optimus Gen 2 walking with a more human-like gait, squatting, and carefully handling an egg with its new actuated hands. Gen 2 was a significant improvement over Bumble-C in balance, dexterity, and actuation. The hands were a notable advance, with 11 degrees of freedom per hand.

Figure AI revealed Figure 02 in 2023, with improved actuated hands, integrated compute, and a cleaner form factor. Figure 02 demonstrated tasks including palletizing and picking, and the company began discussions with BMW about deployment. Figure 02 was the bridge between the prototype Figure 01 and the production-intended Figure 03.

At Tesla AI Day 2022, the Bumble-C prototype walked on stage and performed a task (watering a plant), the first public demonstration of a working Tesla humanoid. Tesla also presented the Gen 1 Optimus design (displayed on a pedestal) and published the 2.3 kWh, 52V battery specification. The demonstration was a milestone in Tesla's humanoid program, moving from concept to working prototype.

Figure AI, founded in 2022, revealed Figure 01 as its first humanoid prototype. The company was founded by Brett Adcock, a serial entrepreneur, with the goal of building a commercially viable general-purpose humanoid. Figure 01 was the starting point for the Figure 02 and Figure 03 generations.

Tesla announced the Optimus humanoid robot project at its AI Day in August 2021, with Elon Musk presenting a human in a spandex suit as a placeholder. The concept was to build a general-purpose humanoid using Tesla's Autopilot AI stack and manufacturing capability. The announcement was met with skepticism but Tesla has since built working prototypes.

Boston Dynamics released video of the hydraulic Atlas performing a backflip and parkour-style jumps, a landmark in dynamic humanoid balance. The video was widely shared and established Boston Dynamics as the leader in dynamic humanoid locomotion. The hydraulic Atlas was the platform until the all-electric version was revealed in April 2024.