How will FIGURE 01 change the WORLD?
Are robots taking over now?
Will we never have to lift a finger again in the future?
Is the vision we saw in “I, Robot” now reality?
What does that do to our economy?
Might there even be an EU robot ban?
My jaw certainly dropped this week when I saw the new Figure 01 – the first version, mind you!!! – of the AI-equipped robot.
Figure, a company just 18 months old, teamed up with OpenAI and built the “smartest” robot so far. The Figure 01 is practically a ChatGPT in the flesh. It can perceive and interpret its surroundings through a camera.
But what am I saying – let’s just watch a bit:
OK – the robot recognizes what is in front of it, including the person and the hand on the table. But now it gets exciting:
Figure 01 is asked for something to eat. It thinks briefly and hands the human the apple. So the robot knows what is edible and what isn’t.
Almost playfully bored, the robot tidies up while answering a question.
So – the robot is supposed to think for itself – look in front of you, what do you see? Where could the dishes belong?
Figure 01 doesn’t think for long and says: in the drying rack. But now it gets wild! The human gives a “human” command, namely just: “Then put them there.”
I don’t have to utter complicated instructions like: “take the cup with your left hand and put it in the rack rotated by 180 degrees” or something. Figure 01 remembered that we had just been talking about the dishes and “expects” this task as the logical next step. Crazy what a quantum leap robotics is making here with the help of large language models!!
And one thing you always have to be clear about with robotics:
If one can do it, all can!
One thing impressed me most about the video:
The way the robot takes the apple! You’d think the robot would choose the path with the least energy expenditure – so its left hand grasps and hands over the apple. But no – it lifts the apple with its right hand, passes it to its own left hand (you can almost see the thought process) and then drops the fruit into the human hand. Impressively humanoid.
Where is all of this leading us? How will Figure 01 change the world?
I have a few suggestions:
Just read on the Figure site: in the US there are 10 million unpleasant or really dangerous jobs. Like here in welding or as a window cleaner. Lumberjack or on the high-voltage line. Humanoid robots could be imagined in other fields too. The robot wouldn’t hesitate to run into a burning house to rescue the trapped grandma. With a humanoid chauffeur it’s no longer even necessary to own a self-driving car. I settle comfortably into the back of my vintage car and let myself be driven. By the time I’m home, a robot has already prepared a 5-star meal for me.
Of course it doesn’t take much to think up this variant as well.
Figure has a clear opinion on this: “make a positive impact on humanity and create a better life for future generations. These robots can eliminate the need for unsafe and undesirable jobs — ultimately allowing us to live happier, more purposeful lives.”
They want to have a positive influence on humanity with their robots. We should be able to lead happier and more fulfilled lives as a result.
How, though? If nobody works anymore? I can’t answer that either! What I can say: as soon as a robot (bought, leased or rented) is cheaper than a human worker, the robot gets the job. At first they’ll try to undercut the robot, but a worker who never gets tired is simply no competition.
Unless a No-Robot Act is passed by the EU. We know our way around bans!
The hope of some economists is: when less manual work is done by humans, there are fewer costs, so considerably cheaper products on the market. Still, I need to have something in my pocket to buy my robot 5-star meal for €2. It won’t work without an unconditional basic income.
You can’t hire the Figure 01 as a cook yet – but it won’t take long.
From Unitree I can already buy a robot dog for €2,500 now. It then patrols the garden or the high-bay warehouse.
What would you use a humanoid robot for? As always, feel free to write in the comments what you think about the topic.
FIGURE 01: https://www.figure.ai/
UNITREE: https://shop.unitree.com/
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