Robotic Hero Finally Outsmasks Vile Chore We All Dread

Revolutionary Humanoid Robot Begins Folding Laundry

Figure, a California‑based robotics startup, has unveiled a groundbreaking humanoid robot that can pick, fold and stack freshly washed towels entirely on its own. This milestone marks the first time such a machine has performed the notoriously delicate task of laundry folding without external guidance.

How It Works

• Built on the Helix Vision Language Action (VLA) architecture, previously used for industrial logistics.
• Trained with a new dataset specifically focused on the geometry and behavior of soft, flexible fabrics.
• Uses multi‑fingered hands and a fully end‑to‑end neural network to navigate unpredictable towel shapes.

Key Features

• Multi‑Finger Dexterity – The robot can grasp individual towels from a pile and handle them with precision.
• Adaptive Folding Strategies – It identifies the best fold pattern for each towel, correcting mistakes such as accidentally grabbing multiple items.
• Real‑Time Error Recovery – When a towel slips or becomes tangled, the robot adjusts its grip instantly.

Why This Matters

Folding laundry, a routine chore for humans, is one of the most challenging manipulation tasks for robots. Towels exhibit continuous deformation, unpredictable bending and prone to wrinkling.

The robot’s ability to maintain control over these variables demonstrates a leap forward in manipulating soft materials, opening the door to wider applications such as garment handling, clothing repair and even home assistance.

Future Plans

Although Figure is currently deploying the robot in industrial settings, it plans to conduct tests in home environments later this year. Pricing and availability for individual consumers remain undisclosed at this stage.

Despite the current lack of direct market access, this achievement offers a hopeful glimpse of a future where humans might one day delegate their laundry chores to sophisticated, autonomous machines.