A humanoid robot has sorted delivery boxes for 200 hours straight without rest — equivalent to a human working nine days with virtually no sleep. The robot in question is "Figure 03," developed by U.S. humanoid robot company Figure AI. Industry observers say the milestone suggests the era of "dark factories," where humans disappear from production lines, may arrive sooner than expected.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, Figure AI recently completed a "200-hour continuous logistics operation test" of its Figure 03 humanoid robot. The company live-streamed the experiment on YouTube from its San Jose, California headquarters starting October 14 (local time) and officially announced the test's conclusion on the 22nd.
Standing approximately 173 cm tall and weighing 61 kg, Figure 03 picked up delivery boxes moving along a conveyor belt and oriented them with their barcodes facing downward. While the task is simple and repetitive, it is one of the most needed processes in actual logistics centers.
What was striking was how the robot performed. Without remote human control, it operated autonomously based on its in-house AI model "Helix-02," making its own judgments. It selected one or both hands depending on the size and shape of each box, and stretched its body forward to grab items further away. Light items such as plastic packaging were handled with one hand, while large boxes were balanced with two.
The experiment was originally designed to verify whether the robot could operate continuously for eight hours. But as the robot performed more reliably than expected, Figure AI continued to extend the test, eventually reaching 200 consecutive hours of operation.
The result: Figure 03 processed a total of 249,560 packages — an average of 1,248 boxes per hour, or roughly 2.88 seconds per box.
The charging method also drew attention. When a robot's battery ran low, it moved to a charger on its own, and another robot immediately took over the task. Five robots, given names such as "ROSE," "JIM," and "BOB," operated in shifts.
In the moments leading up to the 200-hour mark, Figure AI staff gathered at the lab and counted down, popping champagne and cheering when the record was set. After completing its work, Figure 03 raised both arms and walked out of the workspace on its own.
Figure AI also drew attention with last year's product launch. At the time, the company released a video of a "package-sorting showdown" between a human intern and Figure 03. The human worker processed 12,924 boxes over 10 hours, while Figure 03 sorted 12,732 — a gap of just 192.
The human participant said at the time, "My arms felt like they would break," while the robot continued working without rest. Brett Adcock, CEO of Figure AI, later remarked that "this will likely be the last match humans win."
Figure 03 itself has seen significant performance improvements over its predecessor. Camera processing speed has doubled, and latency has been reduced by 25%. Its field of view has been widened by 60%, allowing it to move faster and more accurately even in complex spaces.
Cameras have been added to its palms for close-range vision, and fingertip sensors detect pressure at the 3-gram level. The actuators are twice as fast and powerful as before, achieving operating speeds close to those of humans. Speaker and microphone performance have also been improved, enabling voice conversations.
Mass production is also being prepared. Figure AI has set a goal of building an annual production capacity of 100,000 units within the next four years by shifting its production process to a low-cost manufacturing model.
Industry observers say the test "demonstrated the potential for humanoid robots to be deployed at actual industrial sites." Jesse Coors-Blankenship, a Figure AI board member, said the test "proved that robots can work reliably for extended periods."
Challenges remain, however. Accuracy issues were found, with some boxes placed with their barcodes oriented incorrectly. Ayanna Howard, dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University, told Business Insider, "It is impressive that it operated without breakdowns for so long, but it will still take time before fully autonomous logistics robots are deployed in the field on a full scale."
Meanwhile, the humanoid robot race is rapidly spreading worldwide. Boston Dynamics, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, has also entered the technology competition, recently releasing a video of its humanoid robot "Atlas" lifting and moving a 23-kg refrigerator.
