• Figure AI F.03 robots have been sorting packages
• An 8-hour livestream showed the bots working autonomously
• The view count for the video is currently at 10 million

Figure AI keeps setting new challenges for itself and its humanoid robots, and the latest test of these machines' dexterity and intelligence was just livestreamed on X: sorting packages, unsupervised, for a full 8-hour production-line shift.

The feat was posted to X by Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock, and the three F.03 robots taking shifts here seem to have completed the job mostly as required. According to Adcock, the instructions were to detect package barcodes, pick up the packages, and then send them on their way down the conveyor belt, with the barcode face down.

From the video I've seen — which admittedly wasn't the full 8 hours — the packages were all sorted correctly, bar a couple of exceptions. Adcock says the robots are now up to parity with human speed on this task, which is apparently 3 seconds per package, using integrated cameras and the on-board Helix-02 software.

It's the full autonomy and lack of human supervision that Figure AI is making the most of here, and there are now plans to try the same challenge for a full 24 hours. These robots might soon be coming to a production line near you.

Seeing is believing

The livestream is certainly quite hypnotic to watch — and it's also a hit, with 10 million views on the original video, prompting one Redditor to quip that the bots are "stealing jobs from warehouse workers AND streamers".

There are several other entertaining reactions online to the activities of these robots. Some observers seem convinced that the machines are being operated remotely by humans, with one of the F.03 models apparently touching its head at one point — a sign of a VR headset, if you think this is a scam.

I'm not convinced by that argument, and Figure AI has no reason to lie about what's going on here. There are also reactions commenting on how much smarter and faster the robots are working compared to a previous demo along similar lines, evidence of progress on both the hardware and software sides.

There are plenty of suggestions from commenters, too, including ways to improve the robot's design and efficiency, and doubts that these machines are anywhere near human speeds for package sorting at the moment.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.