Thirty Homes, and Nobody Living in Them

In January Brett Adcock predicted that humanoids would work in unfamiliar homes this year, and we covered it. In September Figure showed its evidence. One model, three chores, 30 rented homes the robot had never seen, no extra training in any of them.

The number deserves a careful read. Figure reports 56 percent success, and it graded hard, the whole bed made or it counts as a failure. That is real progress on the problem that has kept robots out of houses, which is that every house is different. It is also Figure grading Figure, and a little under half the attempts did not finish.

Now look at the chores. Toys, towels, a comforter. None of them involves a person. A rented home has nobody in it who stands up too fast, and nobody who does not want a machine near the bed. Care work is the part of the house that moves, argues and falls.

So this is good news on the easier half. A robot that can make the bed gives a daughter back an hour. It does not yet share the room with the person she is worried about.