Figure AI releases Figure 03, its third-generation humanoid robot

General-purpose humanoid manufacturer Figure AI announced the release of Figure 03, its 3^rd-generation humanoid robot.

The company said that Figure 03 is designed for Helix, the home and the world at scale.

Figure said its goal is to deliver a truly general-purpose robot - one that can perform human-like tasks and learn directly from people.

Figure 03 design elements

To realize this vision, Figure AI said its engineering and design teams completed a ground-up hardware and software redesign to ship Figure 03 for:

• Helix: Figure 03 features a completely redesigned sensory suite and hand system, which is purpose-built to enable Helix - Figure's proprietary vision-language-action AI.
• The home: Figure 03 has several new features, including soft goods, wireless charging, an improved audio system for voice reasoning and battery safety advancements that make it safer and easier to use in a home environment. 
• Mass manufacturing: Figure 03 was engineered from the ground up for high-volume manufacturing. The company said that to scale, it established a new supply chain and an entirely new process for manufacturing humanoid robots at BotQ.
• The world at scale: The lower manufacturing cost and the advancements made for Helix have significant benefits for commercial applications. 

The company said Figure 03 introduces a next-generation vision system engineered for high-frequency visuomotor control. Its new camera architecture delivers twice the frame rate, one-quarter the latency and a 60% wider field of view per camera - all within a more compact form factor. Combined with an expanded depth of field, Figure said this architecture provides Helix with a denser, more stable perceptual stream. These advancements are essential for intelligent navigation and precise manipulation in complex, cluttered spaces such as homes.

Each hand now integrates an embedded palm camera with a wide field of view and low-latency sensing, which offers redundant, close-range visual feedback during grasps. These cameras allow Helix to maintain visual awareness even when the main cameras are occluded (i.e. when reaching into a cabinet or working in confined spaces) and enable continuous, adaptive control in real time.

Figure said the 03 humanoid’s hands represent a major leap in compliant and tactile design. Softer, more adaptive fingertips increase surface contact area, enabling more stable grasps across objects of varied shapes and sizes.

After surveying existing market options, Figure found that current tactile sensors had inherent limitations that could not withstand real-world use. This led to the internal development of its first-generation tactile sensor, guided by three principles: extreme durability, long-term reliability and high-fidelity sensing.

Each fingertip sensor can detect forces as small as three grams of pressure - sensitive enough to register the weight of a paperclip resting on a finger. Figure said this precision enables Helix to distinguish between a secure grip and an impending slip before it occurs, allowing fine-grained, dexterous control over fragile, irregular or moving objects.

Designed for the home

To operate effectively in the home, Figure AI said a robot must work seamlessly alongside people in their daily environments.

Figure 03 introduces several design improvements focused on safety. It features strategically placed multi-density foam to protect against pinch points, and is covered in soft textiles rather than hard, machined parts. Figure 03 also has 9% less mass and significantly less volume than Figure 02, making it easier to maneuver through household spaces.

The Figure 03 battery incorporates multiple layers of protection against abuse or malfunction, including safeguards at the Battery Management System (BMS), cell, interconnect and pack levels. Figure AI said the battery has already achieved certification to the UN38.3 standard.

Beyond safety, Figure 03 is designed for everyday usability. The soft goods are fully washable and can be removed or replaced without tools, allowing for quick swaps. The robot can also be customized with various clothing options, including garments made from cut-resistant and durable materials.

Figure 03 also features an upgraded audio hardware system for better real-time speech-to-speech. Compared with Figure 02, its speaker is twice the size and nearly four times more powerful, while the microphone has been repositioned for improved performance and clarity.

The new humanoid is capable of wireless inductive charging alongside wireless data offload. Charging coils in the robot’s feet allow it to step onto a wireless stand and charge at 2 kW. In a home setting, this means the robot can automatically dock and recharge itself as needed throughout the day.

Designed for mass manufacturing

Humanoid robots have traditionally been designed as engineering prototypes, which are time-consuming and expensive to produce. The company said that Figure 03 is its first robot engineered from the ground up for high-volume manufacturing, which it achieved through the following three initiatives:

• Design and process reinvention
• Establishing an entirely new supply chain
• The invention of BotQ, our high-volume manufacturing facility

Moving from Figure 02 to Figure 03 required redesigning nearly every component of the robot with manufacturability and cost in mind. The mechanical and electrical engineering teams aggressively reduced part count, assembly steps, and any components that were not absolutely critical to meet design requirements.

While Figure 02 was primarily designed to be manufactured with CNC machining, Figure 03 relies heavily on tooled processes such as die-casting, injection molding and stamping. The company said this shift demanded a significant up-front investment in tooling, but the payoff is that each Figure 03 unit now costs dramatically less to build, with the economics improving as volumes grow.

To scale Figure 03, Figure had to build an entirely new supply chain for an industry where one does not currently exist. Figure chose to vertically integrate across many critical module builds, including actuators, batteries, sensors, structures and electronics, all of which were designed completely in-house.

For individual components, the Figure staff identified and partnered with suppliers capable of meeting the required volumes, timelines and quality standards demanded by the team. The year-long effort resulted in a global network of partners who can grow alongside Figure and meet production goals of thousands and eventually millions of parts under an aggressive ramp schedule.

BotQ is Figure’s dedicated manufacturing facility designed to scale robot production. BotQ’s first-generation manufacturing line will initially be capable of producing up to 12,000 humanoid robots per year, to produce a total of 100,000 robots over the next four years. Instead of relying on contract manufacturers, Figure brought production of its most critical systems in-house to maintain tight control over quality, iteration and speed. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art systems and digital integrations, anchored by its internally developed Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Every subassembly and final assembly passes through this line with full traceability, ensuring quality, repeatability, and continuous improvement.

Designed for the world at scale

Figure’s focus on the home market in no way detracts from the potential of Figure 03 for the commercial market.

The company said that Figure 03 is well-suited for commercial applications for several reasons. The actuators can perform at 2x faster speeds with improved torque density (nm/kg), which yielded the most significant result of faster pick and place item speeds.

Aforementioned sensory suite, charging and uniform options are also well-suited to Figure 03’s use in the world.