Man 1 Machine 0: Intern defeats humanoid robot in 10-hour challenge

Robotics startup Figure AI started a 10-hour contest called Man vs Machine. In this challenge, an intern was put up against the startup's Figure 03 humanoid robot for 10 hours in an item sorting challenge. And, it was the human who managed to take the victory.

In Short

• Human defeats humanoid robot in 10-hour sorting challenge
• Figure AI CEO says last time human wins against a robot
• The intern ended the challenge with almost a broken forearm

Last week, Figure AI went viral on social media. The robotics startup showed its Figure 03 humanoid robot complete 8-hour shifts live on camera. Now, the company has gone a step further. It set up a contest between man and machine. 10 hours of sorting packages – an intern and the Figure 03 humanoid robot. And it turns out that humans may have the upper hand, for now.

In the contest titled, “Man vs Machine,” the human intern and the Figure 03 robot were tasked to handle packages on a conveyor belt. The task was to make sure that the bar code on the packages were facing on the same side for all packages.

After 10 hours, the human narrowly came on top. The intern managed to sort 2,924 packages at 2.79 seconds per package, while the Figure 03 robot handled 12,732 packages at 2.83 seconds per package, leaving a margin of 192 packages.

Last human win against robots, says Figure AI CEO

Before you get too excited about humans still having the edge against robots, Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock gave a reality check. He claimed that while the intern managed to win the contest, he ended up with almost a broken forearm. Brett wrote, “Congrats to Aime!! He said his left forearm is basically broken.”

Posts on social media also indicate that the intern was exhausted by the end of the challenge, and likely had blisters on his fingers. On the other hand, the robot showed no signs of wear and tear. And it continued to sort items even after the contest ended.

Brett claimed that this may be the last time we celebrate a human victory against AI. He added, "This is the last time a human will ever win."

Keep in mind that while the human did manage to defeat the robot, he also lost crucial time when he left to take bathroom breaks, something the robot didn’t need.

While it is likely that Figure AI and other robotics firms will keep on making robots faster and more efficient, this man vs machine contest at least showed that humans can still go up against robots, and even defeat them in some cases.

But do note that humans are on the verge of being defeated by robots in other areas. Chinese firm Unitree says that its H1 humanoid robot may soon beat Olympic gold-medallist Usain Bolt’s 100m record.

- Ends