Figure 02: Humanoid robot shows off '16 degrees of freedom'

If it feels like a while since you've seen how humanoid robots are coming along, meet hot-off-the-press Figure 02. It's been created by US technology company Figure, which describes itself as "an AI (artificial intelligence) robotics company building the world's first commercially viable autonomous humanoid robot". The company's aim is to harness AI and a general-purpose robot for mass deployment in the global workplace: "With the first humanoid by our side in the workforce, we’ll have the ability to create and produce so much more, address drastic labor shortages, and reduce the number of workers in unsafe jobs," says Figure. What's your response to the ad itself? Exciting, scary, effective, or somewhere in the big grey in-between? The response from YouTube viewers so far is mixed, but humour figures high: "Getting them to walk like they've soiled their pants is genius - makes them less threatening".

Keywords: Figure 02, Figure AI robotics, humanoid robots, artificial intelligence, AI workforce, AI in the workplace, robots and jobs