Astonishing Figure 02 humanoid robot at BMW: 400% faster (2025)

🧭 Executive summary

Figure AI’s Figure 02 humanoid robot ran a precision sheet-metal insertion task at BMW’s Spartanburg plant during a pilot. Public updates cite a 400% speed gain, a 7× success-rate improvement, and up to ~1,000 placements per day in demos—significant steps for autonomous manipulation. BMW confirms successful tests but says there is no current deployment and no fixed timetable. In 2025, Figure’s CEO reported 10-hour shifts and a 20-hour continuous run; treat these as vendor claims unless or until BMW issues a formal update. The Figure 02 humanoid robot’s capabilities highlight its potential in the automotive industry. Humanoids Daily+5BMW Group PressClub+5Manufacturing Dive+5

🤖 What is the Figure 02 humanoid robot?

🤖 The capabilities of the Figure 02 humanoid robot

Figure 02 humanoid robot is a general-purpose, bipedal robot built to perform human-like manipulation in existing, human-oriented workcells. In BMW’s several-week trial at Plant Spartanburg, the robot placed sheet-metal parts into fixtures used downstream in chassis assembly—precise, repetitive work that can be ergonomically tough for people. BMW Group PressClub+1

🏭 What BMW’s Spartanburg pilot actually did

BMW describes a real-line trial where the goal was to assess safety, feasibility, and where humanoids could relieve awkward, tiring tasks. Engineers captured requirements for integrating “multi-purpose” robots into existing systems, including how a humanoid communicates with factory systems under real conditions. BMW Group PressClub+1

⚡ The big claim: 400% faster and 7× higher success

Figure’s CEO reported that the Figure 02 fleet became 400% faster with a 7× higher success rate compared to earlier baselines, following improvements in autonomy and policy learning. These are vendor-reported metrics; they are not BMW’s KPIs. LinkedIn

🎯 The hard task: millimeter-precision insertion

In demos, Figure 02 inserted sheet metal into a pin-pole less than one centimeter wide—requiring millimeter accuracy—and reportedly executed up to ~1,000 placements per day. The company also said the cycle time for this operation had to drop by around four minutes to meet production standards. BimmerLife+1

📅 Deployment status vs. media buzz

BMW’s official line (Aug 2024) is clear: there are no Figure robots deployed at Spartanburg and no timetable for bringing them in. BMW continues working with Figure on data collection and training for potential future use. Media often repeats the “success” headline; always anchor on BMW’s specific deployment statement for status. BMW Group PressClub+1

🔄 2025 updates to watch

In May 2025, Figure’s CEO posted that the robot had been running 10-hour shifts for several weeks and completed a 20-hour continuous run on BMW’s X3 line—strong reliability claims if replicated. These came via social posts; BMW has not issued a new press release updating its 2024 deployment stance. Track both channels for alignment. X (formerly Twitter)+1

🧠 The AI stack behind the hands: Helix

Figure introduced Helix in Feb 2025, a vision-language-action (VLA) model that unifies perception, language, and control. The company says Helix can output high-rate, whole-upper-body control, run onboard low-power GPUs, and generalize to novel objects with language prompts—key capabilities for factory variability. FigureAI

🧯 Safety and ergonomics

BMW’s trial emphasized safe integration and ergonomic relief. Humanoids may shine where tasks are awkward, fatiguing, or variable, especially in workcells designed around people, not cages. Any production use would require risk assessments, guarded zones, and clear recovery procedures. BMW Group PressClub

🔁 Why not just a 6-axis arm?

Traditional arms dominate where the job is highly repetitive, fixture-friendly, and speed-critical. A humanoid makes sense when you want to minimize retooling of human-designed stations, need dexterity for variable parts, or want a drop-in solution that can move with tools and handle nuanced, two-handed tasks. BMW’s pilot targeted exactly those ergonomic and precision pain points. BMW Group PressClub

📈 Economics without the spreadsheet

Here’s a plain-English ROI sketch you can adapt to your line study (no table, by request):

• Capex: estimate low-to-mid six figures for robot, hands/EOAT, and integration.
• OpEx: tens of thousands yearly for power, maintenance, and software.
• Stations affected: typically one cell at first; scale by adding units.
• Cycle time: reported reductions around minutes on the pilot task; actuals vary by part, approach path, and fault recovery.
• Throughput: material if the station is the bottleneck; otherwise gains show up in ergonomics, rework reduction, and schedule flexibility.

Use pilot data—scrap/rework, MTBF/MTTR, changeover times—to build your payback. Treat vendor demo stats as directional until your line tests replicate them. BimmerLife+1

💰 Backing and partnerships

Figure raised $675M (Series B) at a $2.6B valuation in Feb 2024 with participation from Microsoft, the OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos, among others. The company also announced collaboration with OpenAI and Azure for AI infrastructure—important for scaling training and deployment. PR Newswire+1

🧩 What this means for automakers in 2025

Humanoids are moving from “cool demo” to “serious pilot.” The path to production hinges on three things:

1. Reliability at takt: hold alignment, avoid collisions, and auto-recover from faults across shifts.

2. Safety and change management: coexist with people, retrain jobs, adapt maintenance.

3. Economics: clear payback vs. fixed automation or additional staffing.

BMW’s public stance is measured, which is typical at this stage. The technical signals—precision insertion, longer shift runs, and better success rates—are real steps forward. BMW Group PressClub

🧭 What to watch next

• Any new BMW press updates that change the “no timetable” status.
• Independent measures: quality escapes, fault rates, and unplanned downtime.
• Tooling/EOAT iterations to boost speed without losing accuracy.
• Helix capabilities in factory-grade tasks beyond the current insertion use case. BMW Group PressClub+1

✅ Bottom line

The Figure 02 humanoid robot has shown credible progress on a non-trivial factory task—tight-tolerance, millimeter-level placement—alongside reported improvements in speed and reliability. BMW confirms a successful pilot yet maintains a cautious deployment stance. If 2025 reliability claims hold under OEM verification, humanoids could start to complement fixed automation in targeted, human-designed workcells. For now, treat vendor metrics as promising leads and lean on your own pilot data to decide if a Figure 02-type system belongs in your line. BMW Group PressClub+1

❓ FAQs

❓🤖 What did the Figure 02 humanoid robot do at BMW?

It placed sheet-metal parts into fixtures in the body shop during a several-week trial, a precision task ahead of chassis assembly. BMW Group PressClub

❓⚡ Where do “400% faster” and “7× success” come from?

These are Figure’s vendor claims from public updates summarizing internal benchmarks across its autonomous fleet. They’re encouraging but not BMW’s production KPIs. LinkedIn

❓📏 Did it really achieve millimeter accuracy and ~1,000 placements/day?

Coverage of the demo shows a <1 cm pin-pole insertion requiring millimeter accuracy, with reports of up to ~1,000 placements/day in testing contexts. BimmerLife+1

❓🗓️ Is it deployed at Spartanburg now?

BMW’s official stance (Aug 2024) says no current robots at the plant and no set timetable. BMW continues collaborating with Figure on data and training. BMW Group PressClub

❓⏱️ What changed in 2025?

Figure’s CEO reported 10-hour shifts for several weeks and a 20-hour continuous run. Treat these as vendor-reported until BMW updates its press position. X (formerly Twitter)+1

❓🧠 What is Helix?

Helix is Figure’s vision-language-action model introduced in Feb 2025, designed for whole-upper-body control and on-board, low-power inference—useful for factory tasks with variability. FigureAI

❓💰 Who funds Figure?

A $675M Series B in 2024 valued the company at $2.6B, with backing from Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos, among others. PR Newswire+1

Advancing with Humanoid Robots in Productions 🦾🤖  (Video)

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