100,000 humanoid robots in four years: the US plan to confront China's power

We are experiencing a defining moment in the global expansion of humanoid robots : technologies that until recently seemed like science fiction are becoming a real presence at trade shows, laboratories, and markets around the world. They are even seen playing with children on the streets , and they are also making their way to Spain .

Internationally, companies like Tesla with Optimus , Boston Dynamics with Atlas , and Unitree with its G1 are accelerating the development and commercialization of humanoids capable of walking, manipulating objects, interacting with humans, and learning complex tasks thanks to artificial intelligence . The sector is experiencing a remarkable boom, with a market valued in the billions that is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.

Figure AI, a company specializing in creating humanoid devices, doesn't want to be left behind, especially given China's ongoing deployment of this technology. A year ago, the company secured $675 million in funding to manufacture the Figure 01 and Figure 02 robots . These androids can move their bodies and hands like humans, walk autonomously, integrate artificial intelligence (AI), have human-like strength, and can be used in both factories and warehouses.

These devices are already operational, but Figure AI wants to further incentivize its androids and, so much so, has signed an agreement to accelerate its launch in the United States .

Specifically, the company plans to deploy 100,000 units over the next four years . Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure AI, confirmed the news via his LinkedIn profile, noting that the company has sealed its second major commercial partnership with one of the largest US companies, but without revealing its name.

Figure AI will deploy 100,000 humanoid robots

Deploying 100,000 humanoid robots in four years represents a major milestone for the technology industry , and even boosts the robotics sector to streamline tasks and perform automated activities. Furthermore, Figure AI aims to leverage these androids to understand and adapt to the human environment.

But how will Figure AI achieve all this? Figure 02 will be tasked with performing tasks in industrial settings by integrating an AI system; understanding, reasoning, and responding to humans with a synthetic voice; having human-like strength; supporting payloads of 20 kilograms; and being autonomous and electric.

State of development of robots

Figure AI robots are currently in an advanced stage of functional demonstration in real-life logistics environments . Since June 2025, the Helix system—integrated into the Figure 02 model—has been deployed in package sorting tasks, where it can already handle rigid packages, plastic bags, and padded envelopes with near-human precision.

Thanks to improvements such as visual memory, haptic feedback, and an optimized visual-motor control policy (an improved system that allows the robot to make smarter, faster decisions about how to move and act based on what it sees), its average time per package has dropped to just 4.05 seconds, with a 95% success rate for barcode orientation.

The company says these improvements come from expanding the training data from 10 to 60 hours and adding new control architectures that improve the speed and adaptability of Helix .

That is to say, these robots are already operating in real-life logistics conditions and are continuing to rapidly scale toward mass commercial operation.