Figure partners with Brookfield for AI-powered humanoids

Figure, an American robotics company specializing in the development of AI-powered humanoids, has entered into a strategic partnership with Brookfield, a prominent global investment firm. The primary objective of this collaboration is to expedite the advancement and implementation of general-purpose humanoid robots. As part of the agreement, Brookfield will also make an investment in Figure’s Series C round, solidifying their commitment to the partnership.

For readers of eeNews Europe, this partnership signifies a significant milestone in the convergence of AI, robotics, and real estate. It paves the way for the creation of extensive testbeds and commercial prospects for humanoid robots on a large scale. The synergy between the two companies has the potential to stimulate the demand for AI infrastructure and establish practical deployment channels in both residential and industrial environments.

Building the world’s largest humanoid dataset

The collaboration between Figure and Brookfield is primarily focused on constructing a comprehensive pretraining dataset for Helix, Figure’s exclusive vision-language-action model. Leveraging Brookfield’s vast global real estate portfolio, which includes 100,000 residential units, 500 million square feet of office space, and 160 million square feet of logistics facilities, Figure aims to amass substantial amounts of data related to humanlike navigation and manipulation.

“This partnership represents a significant milestone in our quest to develop general-purpose humanoid robots,” stated Brett Adcock, the Founder and CEO of Figure. “Brookfield’s expansive reach provides us with an unparalleled platform to gather extensive real-world data on humanlike navigation and manipulation in various household settings, a crucial step in unlocking the potential of general-purpose humanoid robots.”

Figure anticipates that capturing video footage in diverse environments will enhance Helix’s ability to train humanoids to move, perceive, and interact more naturally in a wide range of spaces. Data collection has already commenced at Brookfield locations and is set to expand significantly in the upcoming months.

AI infrastructure and deployment opportunities

In addition to data collection, Figure and Brookfield are exploring further collaboration in infrastructure development, including GPU data centers, real estate for robotic training facilities, and exploring direct commercial applications across Brookfield’s global operations.

Bruce Flatt, the CEO of Brookfield, expressed, “This collaborative approach further solidifies Brookfield’s position as a leader in integrating artificial intelligence to enhance productivity in real assets and business operations.”

Stewart Upson, the Head of Global Strategy for Brookfield, added, “We are excited to partner with Figure on this initiative, unlocking potential deployment opportunities over time with the aim of improving our operations.”

Figure has already initiated initial deployments with select clients, and Brookfield’s platform could serve as a testing ground for humanoid robots in residential, office, and logistics environments. Both companies view this collaboration as a pathway to addressing one of the most challenging aspects of AI — enabling robots to perform practical, humanlike tasks in everyday scenarios.