Latest news with #FigureAI
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
$5,900 Unitree R1 robot is surprisingly affordable
Unitree just dropped its latest creation, the R1 humanoid robot, and people are talking. At only $5,900, it's the most affordable bipedal robot we've seen so far. The low price has taken the tech world by surprise and kicked off a wave of excitement. It's a big step toward making humanoid robots more affordable for people. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my In Unitree's promo videos, the R1 shows off by running, spinning, shadowboxing, doing handstands, and even nailing cartwheels. People are starting to realize just how far these humanoid robots have come in terms of coordination and agility. What's especially wild is that it's not priced exclusively for big research labs; regular consumers might actually be able to get their hands on one. The robot can pull off impressive moves thanks to 26 joint degrees of freedom, giving it flexibility similar to a gymnast. It uses onboard sensors, like binocular and wide-angle cameras, microphones, and speakers to understand and navigate its surroundings. An 8-core CPU and GPU power tasks such as voice and image recognition. Its battery lasts about one hour per charge, which is solid for a robot this size. Speaking of size, the R1 weighs around 55 pounds and stands about 4 feet tall. That makes it compact enough to fit easily into classrooms or labs. The standard model comes with fixed open fists, so it can't actually grip objects. However, an advanced EDU version offers movable fingers and lets each arm carry up to 6.6 pounds. Unitree's older models include the G1 at sixteen thousand dollars and the H1 at over ninety thousand. In comparison, the R1 feels like a total game changer. Its lower price gives researchers, small developers, and educators a new opportunity to explore humanoid robotics. Of course, some people are a little skeptical. A few have raised questions about whether the promo footage uses CGI or overly scripted setups. And let's be honest, anyone who's seen robots go off-script knows how unpredictable things can get. That's why solid software and strong safety systems are still so important, especially at this price point. Administrators and researchers around the world are closely watching Unitree's move. China's strength in manufacturing and low-cost hardware gives it a clear advantage, especially as it goes head-to-head with U.S. players like Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics. Everyone's racing to make humanoids affordable and practical. Some researchers are already working the R1 into academic projects. Researchers expect machine learning systems and training tools from older models to work with the R1 as well. And in the medical world, some trials are exploring how humanoid robots can assist in remote care, though they still need improvements in strength and sensitivity. If you've ever dreamed of working with a humanoid robot but thought it was out of reach, the R1 changes that. At $5,900, it's affordable enough for educators, researchers, and developers on a budget. It can walk, spin, and even cartwheel, giving you a real platform to test AI and robotics projects. The standard version doesn't grip, but the EDU model adds movable fingers and more power. With its compact size and one-hour battery life, the R1 fits easily into classrooms, labs, or maker spaces. It's not perfect, but it's a big step toward making humanoid robotics truly accessible. The Unitree R1 is catching attention for all the right reasons. It's fast, flexible, and surprisingly affordable, just $5,900 for a bipedal humanoid that can run, cartwheel, and react to its surroundings. That's huge for schools, researchers, and developers who've never had access to this kind of tech at this kind of price. But while it looks impressive on video, some folks are wondering how it performs in real life. Is it a reliable research tool or just a flashy demo machine? One thing's clear: the R1 could mark a turning point in the push to bring humanoid robots into everyday life. Could robots like this really end up in classrooms, clinics, or even homes someday? If humanoid robots become affordable, how comfortable would you be sharing your space with one? Let us know by writing to us at Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Tahawul Tech
16-07-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
AI funding hits record-high of $23.6bn in Q2
AI start-ups are on track for another record year, driven by strong early investment and major funding deals. Mega deals, such as Elon Musk's xAI aiming for $10 billion and Figure AI seeking $1.5 billion, have sparked investor interest and put more pressure on start-ups to develop real-world AI solutions. This perfect storm of events has led to the strongest start to the year and a record-breaking quarterly total. According to data presented by , VC funding into AI start-ups skyrocketed by 71% year-over-year and hit a record $23.6 billion in Q2. In Q2 alone, AI start-ups raised nearly 70% of the total annual funding seen in 2022 and 2023. Despite high interest rates, economic slowdown, stricter regulations on big tech and AI, Trump's tariff policies, and global trade tensions, AI continues to outperform nearly every other area of the tech sector, both in market forecast and VC investments. The Crunchbase data show that AI start-ups raised $14.1 billion in Q1, 23% more than the amount raised in the same period a year ago. Also, AI start-ups made nearly 58% of global VC investments in the first quarter, doubling their share year-over-year and reflecting growing investor enthusiasm. That momentum carried over into Q2, pushing the quarterly funding total to an all-time high. Between April and June, VC investors poured another $23.6 billion into the market, representing a 71% increase from Q2 2024 and the highest quarterly total. To put that figure into perspective, in Q2 alone, AI start-ups raised nearly 70% of the total annual funding seen in 2022 and 2023, when they raised $38 billion and $35 billion, respectively. Even if VC investments slow down, the current trend shows 2025 could still set a new record, outperforming 2024, the best year for AI start-up funding so far, which saw $64.4 billion in VC investments. Cumulative VC Funding Climbs to $285 Billion Comparing AI start-up funding to that of other most-funded sectors in 2025 reveals just how strong this trend is. In comparison, AI start-ups have raised twice more money than fintech start-ups ($15.8 billion), 70% more than IT start-ups ($21.9 billion), and nearly three times more than biotech companies ($13.8 billion) With over $37 billion of fresh capital poured into the market over the past five months, the cumulative funding amount in the AI start-up sector has jumped over $285 billion, and around 80% of that value, or $244 billion, was raised in the past five years. Statistics show that U.S. start-ups have raised 65% of that money, with a total of $187 billion in funding. Asiana and European companies follow with $49 billion and $36 billion in cumulative funding, respectively.
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Figure AI founder Brett Adcock says there will soon be as many humanoid robots as humans
"The home is coming," Brett Adcock, the founder of robotics company Figure AI, says. "The home is like single-digit years away" from being a place where humanoid robots can do "useful work," he said this week on Around the Prompt, a tech podcast. That is, first and foremost, thanks to advances in hardware, which have become significantly more reliable in the past decade. "You can't get this done on like mediocre hardware," Adcock said. Neural networks, the computational models that mimic the networks in the brain, meanwhile, have evolved to make humanoids a near-term reality, he said. Adcock referenced an update the company released last week for its humanoid robot, Helix, allowing it to complete an hour of "uninterrupted logistics work." The robot managed packages on a conveyor belt. Adcock said the latest development shows that its neural nets are "approaching human speed and performance." Watch Helix's neural network do 60 minutes of uninterrupted logistics work Helix now incorporates touch and short-term memory and it's performance continuously improves over time — Figure (@Figure_robot) June 7, 2025 Investors, too, see promise in a future populated by humanoid robots. Figure, founded in 2022, has raised $2.34 billion, with $1.5 billion coming from its latest Series C round in February led by SaxeCap, 1802 Ventures, and Vegvisir Capital. The company is now valued at $2.6 billion, according to PitchBook. The company has also raised money from companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. But Adcock — who previously founded electric aircraft company Archer and AI talent marketplace Vettery — said he put in a bulk of the initial capital. In the last seven years, the "climate towards deep tech has really flipped," Adcock said. "There are fully dedicated funds for this. People realize now that probably some of these deep tech companies might be the biggest businesses in the world or starting to become the biggest business." Other major players in the humanoid robot space include Tesla, which has Optimus, a 5-foot-8 humanoid robot that can dance, clean, and take out the trash. The company is working to deploy its first fleet in its factories by the year's end. Boston Dynamics has Atlas, which can run, crawl, break dance, and do cartwheels. Agility Robotics has Digit, which Amazon once tested in its warehouses, though the e-commerce giant now uses its own set of in-house, non-humanoid robots designed by Amazon Robotics. Many of these humanoid machines move with fluidity, exhibiting a suite of motor skills that allow them to augment the human labor force. Figure says its mission is to "develop general-purpose humanoids that make a positive impact on humanity and create a better life for future generations," especially ones that can "eliminate the need for unsafe and undesirable jobs — ultimately allowing us to live happier, more purposeful lives." The company already has robots mingling with humans at its offices, asking employees if they want water or coffee, or simply patrolling the premises, he said. So, it's not hard to imagine a time when "you'll see as many humanoid robots as you see humans," he said. "It's literally going to feel like a sci-fi movie." The real draw, though, is that "the humanoid robots will be the ultimate deployment vector for AGI," he said. Humanoids aren't the only type of robots in development. In 2024, investors put $6.1 billion in VC dollars behind the general category of robotics, up 19% from 2023, according to PitchBook. That includes companies collecting data, building AI models for robots, and creating robotic fleet management software, PitchBook said. "There's a whole ecosystem that's been kickstarted in the last three years," Srini Ananth, managing director at Intel Capital, told PitchBook. Some experts in the field question whether the human form is really the best vehicle for machines. "My hypothesis is that the requirements of different tasks are so vast that having very few form or sticking with one form is energy inefficient," Fei-Fei Li, cofounder and CEO of World Labs, said on the No Priors podcast. "Just an extreme and trivial example, if we put robots underwater, they should not be the shape of humans. They better be in the shape of fish. Just think about energy efficiency. The same with flying."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Robinhood's OpenAI Tokens Walk a Legal Tightrope, Says Crypto Lawyer
Robinhood's plan to democratize private equity with tokenized startup shares may be bold, but it could have unintended legal consequences, warned Florida-based crypto lawyer John Montague in an interview with CoinDesk, who cited risks of lawsuits, regulatory blowback, and investor losses in the event the platform goes bankrupt. Robinhood recently launched a new product for European users that offers tokenized exposure to private companies like OpenAI. These tokens aren't actual shares; they represent fractional interests in a special purpose vehicle (SPV). While Robinhood argues that this opens access to deals previously only accessible to the elite, OpenAI is firm in saying the offering is unauthorized and legally questionable. Montague acknowledges the ambition behind the product but warns that it flirts with serious legal consequences. 'I think private companies may also initiate lawsuits alleging that this violates their governance documents, shareholders' agreements, investor rights agreements, or bylaws,' he said. "I view it as the issuer's right to control the terms of transfer." In April, another AI startup, Figure AI, sent cease-and-desist letters to unnamed brokers who were selling its shares on the secondary market, according to TechCrunch. "We do not allow secondary market trading in our shares without board authorization, and the company will continue to protect itself against unwanted third-party brokers in the market,' Figure AI told TechCrunch at the time. Montague expects this trend to continue. "If a secondary market participant acquires shares and then violates the company's Bylaws, Shareholders Agreement, or Investor Agreement (such as by forming an SPV or reselling to other investors), it's likely a straightforward breach of contract, and the issuer would be entitled to injunctive relief," he continued. Regulators have begun to take notice, and there are also securities laws to consider. In a statement released on Wednesday, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said — without naming Robinhood specifically — that tokenized equity offerings are indeed securities and market participants must adhere to federal securities laws when using these instruments. "Distributors of tokenized securities must consider their disclosure obligations under the federal securities laws," she said in her statement. There's also the question of bankruptcy. Linqto, which offers similar services to Robinhood for structured exposure to startups, recently filed for bankruptcy, raising a significant question mark about what will happen to the token holders of the equity. 'If Robinhood went bankrupt, I do not think any stock they have in a SPV would be specifically slotted to those holders in bankruptcy court,' Montague said. Montague also warned that the structure could inflate a bubble in private markets, as retail demand piles into tokens that offer economic exposure without true ownership. Detached from voting rights or board oversight, these synthetic assets risk becoming purely speculative instruments, fueling hype without substance and leaving investors exposed when sentiment shifts. But Montague said he remains optimistic. While he said that regulatory pathways for offering tokenized equity via an SPV or derivatives on private company stock remain underdeveloped and unclear, Robinhood's bold steps are the action the industry needs to force some clarity. "They're taking a real risk by rolling out these products, but I think the extra liquidity in private stock will benefit the entire industry," he in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Korea Herald
24-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Samsung, LG eye first-mover edge in robotics camera modules
LG takes lead with Figure AI talks, Boston Dynamics partnership Korea's top two electronics parts makers — Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek — are accelerating their efforts to gain an early foothold in humanoid robot camera modules, which is seen as a blue ocean market with no clear leader yet. LG Innotek is in talks with US-based humanoid robotics startup Figure AI to supply camera modules for its robots, according to industry sources on Tuesday. The two firms are expected to finalize supply volumes and pricing in the second half, with mass production likely to begin in early 2026. Figure AI, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, aims to produce 100,000 humanoid robots over the next four years. If the negotiations are successful, LG will become the official camera module supplier for the US startup, marking its first major achievement in its new robotics business. LG has been strengthening its presence in the sector, signing a partnership last month with Boston Dynamics to jointly develop a custom vision sensing system for the company's Atlas humanoid robot. The system will be tailored to Atlas' specifications to enhance its visual perception capabilities. The Korean parts maker is reportedly collaborating with more than half of the 14 humanoid robotics firms that appeared during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote speech at CES 2025 in January. These firms include Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, Figure AI, Apptronik and Unitree. According to Eugene Investment & Securities, LG's deals with Figure AI and Boston Dynamics could contribute about 19 billion won ($13.9 million) to operating profit by 2028 and more than 90 billion won by 2029. While it represents a small portion of LG's 2023 operating profit of 706 billion won, the figure is expected to rise significantly as the firm expands its client base in the robotics sector. Samsung Electro-Mechanics is also engaging with multiple humanoid robotics firms as it looks to expand into the field. At a press conference during CES 2024, CEO Chang Duk-hyun identified robotics as a key focus for future growth. 'Samsung has yet to supply camera modules for any dedicated robotics firms, but its technological expertise and mass production capabilities in smartphone and automotive camera modules are well-established,' said an industry source who requested anonymity. 'As the humanoid robot market enters mass production, interest in Samsung's camera modules is likely to rise.' Industry watchers predict the market for robotic camera modules will experience explosive growth. Eugene Investment & Securities projects the market will grow from 40 billion won in 2026 to 4.7 trillion won by 2029. 'With the smartphone camera module market reaching saturation, the robotics sector presents a rare growth opportunity. Early movers will have a significant advantage in what promises to be a fiercely competitive landscape,' the anonymous source said.
