What did the BMW trial demonstrate?
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The illustration on page 9 shows a humanoid robot—a robot shaped roughly like a person. What work did it perform?
It prepared parts for the next step
During the 2025 trial at BMW’s Spartanburg plant, Figure 02 picked up sheet-metal parts and placed them into a holder. The holder kept the parts in position so other industrial robots could weld them. Figure 02 performed one task in a larger production process. [5, 10]
BMW reports that it handled more than 90,000 components over roughly 1,250 operating hours. This was repeated factory work, rather than one successful demonstration. The robot was not building complete cars. [5]
Why was that task a useful test?
Picking up a part is only the beginning. The robot also has to place it correctly and finish in time for the next production step. If a person frequently has to stop and reset the robot, that support becomes part of the job.
Figure therefore tracked three practical questions: Was it fast enough? Were the parts placed correctly? How often did a person need to help? The company published performance targets, but targets should not be mistaken for results achieved throughout the trial. [10]
What did the trial teach us?
It showed how this robot could contribute to a specific factory task. It also exposed problems to fix: Figure identified the robot’s forearm as an important source of hardware failures and described changes for its next model. [10]
The key idea: successful use depends on the task, the setting and the support required. To judge the business value, we would still need clearer information about costs, interruptions and human assistance. We cannot assume the same results in a different workplace.
What followed the 2025 trial?
On 30 June 2026, Figure published a demonstration of Figure 03 performing a logistics workflow at BMW, including arranging parts and moving a cart. This is a newer company-reported demonstration, distinct from the Figure 02 results above. It does not establish long-term reliability or independently verified performance across factory tasks. Read Figure’s dated follow-up [11].
BMW operates the factory; Figure supplies the robot. Their reports are useful firsthand accounts, with commercial interests. Explore the original accounts in sources [5, 10] in the report’s sources.