Figure 02 Goes to Work: BYD Announces Deployment of 5,000 Humanoid Robots

Overview

Humanoid robots going to work in factories has transitioned from concept to reality.

BYD and Figure AI officially signed a strategic partnership today, announcing the phased deployment of 5,000 Figure 02 humanoid robots by the end of 2028, with the first 500 units going into operation at a Shenzhen plant this November.

Figure 02 stands 1.7 meters tall, carries up to 20 kg, and runs for 5 hours on a single charge. Under BYD's plan, these robots will handle three main categories: auto parts assembly, production line inspection, and warehouse logistics.

Performance Comparison

Internal BYD test data shows:

Metric	Human Workers	Figure 02
Daily effective hours	6.5 hours	16 hours
Assembly defect rate	97.2% pass	99.1% pass
Monthly cost	¥6,500/person	¥3,200/unit
Workplace injury rate	0.3%	0%

Union and Legal Controversy

The factory-floor spread of humanoid robots has sparked broad societal debate.

The Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions publicly stated that introducing robots in manufacturing must go hand-in-hand with employee retraining and reemployment support — not simply replacement. Several labor law scholars are calling for updated regulations to establish clear workplace protection standards for human-robot collaboration scenarios.

Figure AI's CEO responded in an interview: "Robots replace dangerous, repetitive jobs, not creative ones. Human workers can shift toward positions that require judgment."

A Trillion-Yuan Race Accelerating

It's not just BYD. In 2027, Tesla's Optimus, Unitree's H1, and Zhiyuan's Expedition all achieved mass production and delivery. The pace of human-robot collaboration in domestic manufacturing is clearly accelerating.

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This article is fictional and for entertainment purposes only.