Safety is often overlooked in the rush to bring humanoid robots to the workplace. As high-profile corporations ranging from retailers like Amazon<\/a> to carmakers such as Mercedes<\/a> and BMW<\/a> have announced humanoid pilots for factories and warehouses, conversations around worker safety are regularly buried beneath industry hype.<\/p>\n One Bay Area-robotics firm is hoping to correct that shortfall. <\/p>\n Figure AI announced Tuesday it is building a Center for the Advancement of Humanoid Safety, an in-house division wholly focused on the topic. Rob Gruendel, the former Amazon Robotics safety engineer who is heading up the project, revealed the plans via a LinkedIn post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier factory and warehouse systems addressed the safety problem by caging in big, heavy robots. Subsequent solutions have turned to technology, including advanced computer vision, software developed by Veo Robotics<\/a>, and a safety vest<\/a> designed by Amazon to help keep robots from crashing into people.<\/p>\n Amazon\u2019s wearable is designed solely for internal usage and likely won\u2019t appear outside of its own fulfillment centers. Even with that technology, the company still uses protective cages for many of its own robots. Veo Robotics, meanwhile, was absorbed into Symbotic in 2024<\/a>. More recently, Symbotic has taken the reins<\/a> of Walmart\u2019s robotics division.<\/p>\n While valued for its adaptability, multi-purpose functionality, and ability to integrate into existing brownfield warehouses<\/a>, the humanoid form factor introduces a new set of safety concerns. After all, one of the category\u2019s key selling points is its ability to work alongside humans. Their big, metal bodies \u2014 ranging freely inside factories and warehouses \u2014 have the potential to cause injuries by colliding with their softer, fleshier colleagues.<\/p>\n Workplace safety organizations like Occupational Safety and Health Administration have a lot of catching up to do in terms of automation safety regulation. Today, there are no \u201cspecific OSHA standards for the robotics industry,\u201d according to the federal agency<\/a>. This broader concern needs to be addressed, but regulation specifically targeting humanoids is especially timely.<\/p>\n Figure AI is homing in on that gap.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our recent successes was to finalize a formal plan with our OSHA recognized independent testing laboratory to certify our robot\u2019s battery, functional safety control system, and electrical system to industrial standards,\u201d Grudendel noted in the announcement post.<\/p>\n Fetch founder, Melonee Wise, has made the topic of humanoid safety a key focus since joining Agility Robotics<\/a> as chief technology officer in 2023.<\/p>\n![\"Agility](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-27-at-3.34.17\u202fPM.jpg?w=680\")
![\"Boston](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Farewell-to-HD-Atlas.2024-04-15-16_32_46.gif?w=680\")