Figure’s Humanoid Robots Are Coming to Homes Sooner Than Expected

Brett Adcock, CEO of robotics startup Figure, just dropped some exciting news: The company is accelerating its plans to bring its humanoid robots into real homes. In a recent announcement, Adcock revealed that Figure 02 robots will begin "alpha testing" in domestic environments by late 2025—a timeline that’s faster than many expected.

Why the Rush? Blame It on "Helix"

The speed-up comes thanks to Figure’s new Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model, called Helix, which the company unveiled just last week. Unlike traditional AI systems that specialize in narrow tasks, Helix is a generalist AI—meaning it can process both visual data and spoken commands to learn new tasks on the fly.

This shift is a big deal because it means Figure’s robots won’t need pre-programmed instructions for every single action. Instead, they’ll adapt in real-time, making them far more useful in unpredictable home environments.

A Breakup with OpenAI

Interestingly, Figure’s push toward in-house AI development led to the end of its much-hyped partnership with OpenAI. Instead of relying on third-party models, the company is betting big on Helix and other proprietary AI systems to power its robots.

From Factories to Living Rooms

Until now, Figure—like most humanoid robotics firms—has focused on industrial applications. Earlier this year, the company began testing its robots at a BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina, where they performed repetitive tasks in a controlled setting. Factories make sense as a first step: they’re structured, predictable, and companies like BMW are willing to invest in automation.

But homes? That’s a whole different challenge.

Why Homes Are the Ultimate Test

While factories are orderly, houses are messy, dynamic, and full of surprises. Pets, kids, cluttered floors, uneven lighting—robots have to navigate all of this while performing useful tasks.

Figure isn’t the only company eyeing this space. Tesla, Apptronik, and Norwegian startup 1X have all hinted at domestic ambitions. But so far, very few have made real progress.

1X, for example, has prioritized home robots but faces huge hurdles, from pricing to adaptability. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Optimus remains in development, with no clear timeline for home deployment.

What Can We Expect in 2025?

Adcock’s mention of "alpha testing" suggests that Figure’s home trials will still be early and limited next year. But the fact that they’re moving forward at all is a big deal.

If successful, these robots could eventually help with:
✔ Meal prep (as seen in Helix demo videos)
✔ Household chores (though Adcock admits cleaning isn’t the top priority yet)
✔ Aging-in-place assistance (a major need in countries like Japan and the U.S.)

The Big Question: Will People Actually Want Them?

Beyond technical challenges, cost and consumer acceptance remain huge unknowns. Humanoid robots aren’t cheap, and convincing people to welcome them into their homes won’t be easy.

But if Figure can pull it off, we might be closer than ever to having real-life Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons—just a few decades later than predicted.

Stay tuned—2025 could be the year domestic robots finally take their first real steps into our lives. 🚀