- New teaser: Figure posted a short “Figure 03” trailer teasing a full reveal on October 9, with the robot strikingly “dressed” in knitwear. YouTube
- Signal: Clothing the robot is widely read as a design pivot toward the home, mirroring 1X’s consumer‑oriented NEO Gamma—which also wears a soft knit suit to blend into living rooms. Digital Trends
- Why now: Figure has lately showcased household skills (laundry, dishes) via its Helix model and says it is “finally bringing robots home.” FigureAI
- Industrial bridge: In parallel, Figure 02 has been working at BMW’s Spartanburg plant, with BMW publicly confirming successful trials. Instagram
- Compute tailwind: NVIDIA’s new Jetson Thor robotics platform—already listing Figure among adopters—arrived in late August, boosting on‑robot AI performance for humanoids. NVIDIA Newsroom
- Expert caution: Leading roboticists warn against near‑term hype: “not… in the next two, five or even 10 years,” says UC Berkeley’s Ken Goldberg; Rodney Brooks calls rapid general‑purpose humanoid timelines “pure fantasy thinking.” Berkeley News
The trailer, the knitwear, and the message
Figure’s short “Figure 03” teaser promises a full unveiling on October 9. The most eye‑catching detail isn’t a backflip or a dexterous trick—it’s fashion: the robot appears knitwear‑clad. As Digital Trends put it, the decision to “dress up” the bot suggests “this is the version heading for the home.” YouTube
If that interpretation feels familiar, it’s because Norway‑/US‑based 1X has already leaned into the idea: its NEO Gamma home humanoid wears a soft knit suit to “complement living spaces,” explicitly prioritizing domestic aesthetics and passive safety. Figure’s teaser reads like a converging design language aimed squarely at the consumer environment. 1X Technologies
Why “dressed appropriately” matters in robotics
Clothing (or soft cladding) isn’t a gimmick. In homes, approachability, noise, and safety are product features. 1X argues that soft covers and knit suits reduce perceived and actual risk, dampen sound and help robots belong in ordinary rooms rather than industrial bays—paradigms any home humanoid must meet. Figure’s own public roadmap has increasingly highlighted domestic chores—loading washers, sorting laundry, placing dishes—under its Helix vision‑language‑action stack. The knitwear teaser simply finishes the sentence the company has been writing all year. 1X Technologies
The strategic bridge: from factory floors to front doors
For credibility, Figure has kept one foot in factories. The company’s CEO Brett Adcock posted that Figure robots have spent five months assisting on the BMW X3 body‑shop line, 10 hours daily, which the company believes is a world first for humanoids. BMW’s own press office corroborates successful trials at Plant Spartanburg and stresses the goal of escorting the tech “from development to industrialization.” Instagram
That industrial foothold answers skeptics who see home robots as a bridge too far: if a humanoid can add value under real production constraints, it’s easier to argue it can eventually standardize domestic routines (albeit with very different safety, UX, and reliability demands). BMW Group PressClub
The tech under the knit
Hardware matters as much as design. In late August, NVIDIA made its Jetson AGX Thor generally available—a Blackwell‑based edge platform billed as a “brain” for physical AI. NVIDIA publicly lists Figure among early adopters; the system dramatically ups on‑robot compute for multi‑model reasoning, perception and control—precisely what home tasks require when connectivity is spotty or latency is unacceptable. NVIDIA Newsroom
Equally critical is Helix, Figure’s VLA model that the company says scales from logistics to home chores—e.g., folding laundry and loading dishwashers—which Figure has been showcasing across its news feed. The teaser hints that Figure 03 is the embodiment layer for Helix in domestic contexts. FigureAI
Don’t ignore the speed bumps
Even as the teaser fuels optimism, leading voices urge restraint:
- Ken Goldberg (UC Berkeley) told Berkeley News that widespread “humanoid butlers” are “not going to happen in the next two years, or five years or even 10 years.” He points to enduring dexterity bottlenecks—picking up fragile, varied objects reliably remains hard. Berkeley News
- Rodney Brooks (ex‑MIT, iRobot co‑founder) argues that believing general‑purpose humanoids will soon step into human jobs is “pure fantasy thinking.” He also flags walking safety concerns for full‑size bipeds near people. rodneybrooks.com
Those caveats don’t negate the teaser’s message; they contextualize it. A knit sweater doesn’t solve tactile sensing, manipulation, or certification. But it does reveal the customer Figure wants next.
What to watch for on October 9
- Use‑case specificity: Will Figure 03 ship with narrow, high‑reliability routines (laundry steps, unloading dishwashers) rather than open‑ended generality? FigureAI
- Safety & compliance: Soft exteriors are a start; what’s the story on force limits, fail‑safes, and human‑robot interaction standards? (BMW’s trials underscore how serious this has to be.) BMW Group PressClub
- On‑robot compute: Any mention of Jetson Thor or equivalent compute would signal serious on‑device reasoning capacity for home tasks. NVIDIA Newsroom
- Business model: Figure recently signaled major funding momentum and partnerships; a consumer‑priced path (or home‑pilot program) would be a watershed. FigureAI
The bottom line
Figure’s “dressed appropriately” trailer is more than aesthetic flair. It’s a market tell: the company wants its next act to be in your home, not just your factory. The teaser aligns with a year of materials about Helix in domestic tasks, with BMW providing hard‑won credibility on reliability and integration. The compute stack is rising to meet the moment, too, as Jetson Thor pushes more AI onto the robot itself.
But knitwear doesn’t magic away dexterity and safety. As Goldberg and Brooks remind us, the real test is whether Figure 03 can do the boring, breakable, everyday things—reliably, affordably, and safely—in real homes. The trailer says that’s exactly what it’s dressing for. Berkeley News
Sources
- Digital Trends coverage of the teaser and the “heading for the home” read. Digital Trends
- Figure’s YouTube Short teasing Figure 03 reveal on Oct 9. YouTube
- Figure’s site and news feed on “bringing robots home,” Helix, and recent milestones. FigureAI
- BMW press release confirming successful Figure 02 trials and intent to guide the tech to industrialization. BMW Group PressClub
- 1X NEO Gamma, a home humanoid with a knit suit—useful comparator for design intent. 1X Technologies
- NVIDIA announcements on Jetson Thor and partner list including Figure. NVIDIA Newsroom
- Expert skepticism: Ken Goldberg interview; Rodney Brooks essay on dexterity and safety. Berkeley News
Note: This analysis focuses on publicly available statements and trailers as of October 8, 2025; final hardware and software details should be confirmed at the October 9 reveal. YouTube
