Recently, Brett Adcock, CEO of Figure, confirmed that the Bay Area-based robotics startup is advancing its timeline for testing home robots. According to reports, Figure plans to launch the "Alpha Test" of its Figure 02 robot by late 2025, focusing on household environments. Adcock stated that this acceleration is due to the company's self-developed "general-purpose" Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model—Helix.

This announcement came a week after Figure unveiled its machine learning platform, Helix. Helix is designed to process visual data and natural language inputs simultaneously, accelerating the system’s ability to learn new tasks. Earlier this month, Figure announced the termination of its high-profile collaboration with OpenAI, opting instead to use proprietary AI models like Helix.

For a long time, Figure's home deployment strategy has been part of its long-term roadmap. Recently, Adcock demonstrated early home-testing scenarios in a lab environment during a visit to the company’s South Bay office with TechCrunch. The recent unveiling of Helix shed more light on these plans, with videos showing robots performing various household tasks, including meal preparation. Helix is specifically engineered to coordinate two robots working together on the same task.

However, similar to many competitors and even rebellious teenagers, Figure prioritizes industrial deployments with higher profit potential. In early 2024, the company announced it was piloting its humanoid systems at a BMW plant in South Carolina. Factories and warehouses are seen as ideal testing grounds because they are more structured and secure. Additionally, manufacturers like BMW are willing to invest heavily in such trials.

Other humanoid robotics companies, such as Apptronik and Tesla, have also expressed interest in bringing these systems into homes. Beyond handling household chores, these robots are viewed as a solution to aging populations in countries like Japan and the United States. Such systems could enable elderly individuals to live independently outside nursing homes.

Norwegian startup 1X is one of the few companies prioritizing the home market—a challenging path. Beyond pricing concerns, every household presents unique challenges. Homes often feature clutter, uneven lighting, varied floor materials, stairs, and unpredictable elements like pets and children.

While details about Figure’s 2025 home testing plan remain unclear, the term "Alpha Test" suggests that household trials will still be in their very early stages for the remainder of this year.