In a bold move that signals the next era of household robotics, Figure AI, Inc. today unveiled its third-generation humanoid robot, the Figure 03 (nicknamed Alex). While Alex stands on the shoulders of two previous models, its ambition is arguably far greater: a robot designed not just for industrial settings but for the home, and built from the ground up for mass-manufacture.
From “Charlie” to “Blake” to “Alex” – A Brief History
- The company’s first prototype, the Figure 01 (Charlie) debuted as a proof-of-concept for bipedal humanoid work.
- The second generation, the Figure 02 (Blake) launched in August 2024 and was aimed at industrial deployment. It featured major improvements in sensing, hands, and AI modelling.
- Now comes Alex (Figure 03), announced October 9 2025, intended as the scalable, general-purpose humanoid for both homes and commercial use. It it also the first model to developed by NVIDIA following Figure’s acquisition which brings much more hope for consumers surrounding Alex’s possibilities.
What’s New with Alex (Figure 03)
Alex brings significant hardware and software upgrades that mark a departure from predecessors:
- A completely redesigned sensory suite and hand system built for the company’s “Helix” vision-language-action AI. The hand includes embedded palm cameras and tactile sensors capable of detecting forces as light as three grams. FigureAI
- Upgraded computer vision: cameras with double the frame rate, one-quarter the latency, and 60% wider field of view compared to previous versions. FigureAI
- Home-ready features: removal of hard industrial aesthetics in favour of soft textiles, multi-density foam safety padding, wireless charging via coils in the feet, improved audio system for voice interaction. FigureAI
- Manufacturing scale in mind: Alex is engineered from the ground up for high-volume production, with an entirely new supply chain and manufacturing facility (BotQ) to target thousands of units per year. FigureAI
Why This Matters
With Alex, Figure AI is making clear that it views humanoid robots as more than industrial curiosities. The company is targeting:
- Home environments: dealing with stairs, clutter, objects of varying shapes and sizes, interacting safely with humans and pets.
- General-purpose use: where a robot might do laundry, loading the dishwasher, picking up toys, perhaps interacting with visitors. Early media tests show Alex can fold towels and load a dishwasher—though with human assistance. TIME
- Scalability: By redesigning for volume manufacturing and cost reduction, Figure AI is aiming to move beyond expensive prototypes toward more widespread deployment.
The Big Questions (and Caveats)
- Timing and cost: While Alex may be unveiled, a consumer-ready, priced model is not yet available and adoption will depend on affordability and reliability. TechRadar highlights the robot “is not yet ready for consumers.” TechRadar
- Safety & trust: A humanoid robot in a home raises complex safety, ethical, privacy and liability issues. TIME’s feature on Alex points this out directly. TIME+1
- Capability gap: While the improvements are deep, the leap from industrial prototypes to fully autonomous home assistants remains enormous. Some tasks still require human oversight.
- Competition: Other players (e.g., Tesla, Unitree Robotics) are also chasing humanoid robots—though the market remains nascent.
