Figure AI has released an update to its Helix artificial intelligence system, which enables humanoid robots to perform complex tasks. The update improves their ability to work in sorting centers and handle packages. As proof, the company published an hour-long video showing the robots working on an assembly line.
Figure AI has released an update to its Helix artificial intelligence system, which enables humanoid robots to perform complex tasks. The update improves their ability to work in sorting centers and handle packages. As proof, the company published an hour-long video showing the robots working on an assembly line.
In its blog, Figure AI said that Helix can now handle a wider range of packages and is approaching «human levels of dexterity and speed,» leading to fully autonomous package sorting.
Helix AI has been trained to handle plastic bags and flat envelopes as reliably as rigid boxes. With the update, the system adapts to different form factors and dynamically processes objects.
Also improved are throughput, barcode reading, and adaptive behavior. For example, the robot can smooth out a package to better read a barcode.
«Small package logistics is an ideal environment for AI training, as packages and scenes are constantly changing at every step, making it ideal for neural networks,» says Figure AI.
These improvements were achieved both by scaling the data and by improving the model architecture. It added a new memory module for perceiving visual states, as well as force feedback for a better sense of touch.
«Items can fold, crumple, or bend, making it difficult to find labels. Helix solves this problem by changing its gripping strategy on the fly — for example, by tilting a soft package to dynamically flip it over, or using clamps for flat shipments,» Figure AI explains.
The company claims that their ultimate goal is to fully automate the logistics industry, and says that Helix is constantly «scaling in agility and reliability» and bridging the gap between trained robotic manipulations and the demands of real-world tasks.
It was previously reported that in the future, Amazon orders may be delivered by courier robots — the company is working on artificial intelligence software that will allow robots to deliver packages in Rivian electric vans and bring them right to your door.
