Figure 03 is Figure AI’s third-generation humanoid designed for the home and everyday tasks, with a ground-up hardware and software redesign for scale (Figure AI, “Introducing Figure 03”).

Will Figure 03 compete with Tesla Optimus?

Yes—both target general-purpose humanoid tasks. Figure leans into home ergonomics and inductive charging, while Tesla’s edge remains rapid skill learning via a large training flywheel (Moneycontrol; Figure AI, “Helix”).

Figure 03 vs Tesla Optimus: Our Real-Time Reaction

Q: How does Figure 03 charge?

It uses inductive charging through coils in its feet to dock on a pad at ~2 kW; Figure cites about five hours of runtime for the F.03 battery (Figure AI, “F.03 Battery Development”; Notebookcheck).

Rebellionaire Staff
2 hours ago
3 min read

“Do robots need the British-accent voice pack? Maybe not. Give us Bradford at 2x and let’s get to work.”

What did Figure AI actually show today?

Figure AI dropped the Figure 03 reveal with a ground-up redesign aimed at home and scale—softer, more approachable skins, cleaner serviceability, and a push toward “mass manufacturability.” The goal isn’t a lab queen; it’s a bot that can survive real homes and real work. That’s the pitch—and it’s a good one (Figure AI, “Introducing Figure 03”). FigureAI

How does Figure 03 charge—and for how long?

The headline: inductive charging through its feet. Step on the pad, recharge at around 2 kW. Figure’s own battery notes point to ~5 hours of runtime and a certified safety stack, which matters once these things live next to dishwashers and toddlers (Figure AI, “F.03 Battery Development”). Coverage today also pegs capacity at ~2.3 kWh—worth tracking as units ship (Notebookcheck). FigureAI+1

Does the voice matter? (Yes—just not how you think.)

The accent riff is fun, but the real question is: does speech accelerate usefulness? If voice lowers human-in-the-loop friction and speeds “teach-by-talking,” it matters. If it’s just a vibe, it’s theater. We’ll take “Bradford at 2x” clarity over a Cambridge narrator any day.

Figure 03 vs Tesla Optimus: what actually separates a slick demo from production?

One word: data. Whoever builds the fastest training flywheel—collect, simulate, fine-tune, deploy—wins. Figure’s Helix VLA stack (vision-language-action) is built for “specify with language, learn from human video, generalize across tasks.” That’s the right north star (Figure AI, “Helix”). And the Brookfield partnership to gather home-environment footage at scale is the kind of boring-but-essential move that decides winners (The Robot Report). FigureAI+1

On the other side, Tesla’s Optimus keeps quietly leveling up—most recently a Kung Fu-style imitation clip showing balance, speed, and step-to-step fluidity. It’s not about martial arts; it’s about control, contact, and coordination improving week over week. That cadence—and Tesla’s data engine—still looks like the bar to clear (Moneycontrol; Times of India). Moneycontrol+1

What should investors watch next?

Cycle-time vs. cinema: Factory value is measured in seconds, not cinematography. Can Figure 03 repeat tasks at production cadence without baby-sitting?
Training throughput: Are we seeing faster task-learning curves month-to-month? Watch real-world “teach once → repeat across units” velocity (Figure AI, “Helix”). FigureAI
Uptime math: Inductive pads + 5-hour packs are great—if dock/undock cycles and charge rates keep duty cycles high (Figure AI, “F.03 Battery Development”). FigureAI
Scale honesty: Claims are easy; shipping is hard. Look for transparent unit counts, deployment sites, and job throughput—not just sizzle reels (Figure AI, “Introducing Figure 03”). FigureAI

So… who’s ahead?

Right now, Figure 03 looks thoughtfully engineered for the home, and the charging/ergonomics story is smarter than most. Tesla still looks ahead on the learning loop—the speed of skill acquisition and redeployment. That’s the game: demos vs. durable output at scale. We’ll keep score where it counts—in minutes saved and jobs completed.

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Resources

Figure AI. “Introducing Figure 03.” 9 Oct. 2025. [Link] FigureAI
Figure AI. “F.03 Battery Development.” 17 July 2025. [Link] FigureAI
Notebookcheck. “Figure 03… wireless charging and ultra-sensitive tactile palms.” 9 Oct. 2025. [Link] Notebookcheck
Figure AI. “Helix: A Vision-Language-Action Model for Generalist Robots.” 20 Feb. 2025. [Link] FigureAI
The Robot Report. “Brookfield partners with Figure AI to develop humanoid pre-training dataset.” 19 Sept. 2025. [Link] The Robot Report
Moneycontrol. “Tesla’s Optimus shows off Kung Fu moves in new demo video.” 8 Oct. 2025. [Link] Moneycontrol
Times of India. “‘Tesla Optimus learning Kung Fu’…” 6 Oct. 2025. [Link] The Times of India