Figure AI reported the results of an 11-month trial in which Figure 02 humanoid robots were installed on a BMW automobile assembly line. According to the Interesting Engineering portal, the robots stopped working due to “significant physical wear and tear”.
During testing, the robots assembled more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles and loaded more than 90,000 sheet metal parts. As a result, the robots suffered mechanical damage, including scratches, deformation and partial loss of controller functionality – their arms began to fall off. Notably, the robot's arms are particularly susceptible to damage, which Figure AI suggests is the cause of flaws in the current model's design.
The robots are tasked with removing metal workpieces from containers and inserting them into welding equipment. The average production cycle is 84 seconds, of which 37 seconds are spent loading parts. Figure AI reports that their operational accuracy exceeds 99%.
The robots operate in conditions similar to industry standards, 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Despite the identified durability issues, the company still considered the project a success and announced the development of a new generation of robots.
