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Robot's Bone-Crushing Power Alleged in Lawsuit
23 Nov
Summary
- Safety engineer alleges no formal safety procedures existed.
- Robot's impact test showed force to fracture a human skull.
- Company claims termination was for poor performance.
A former robotics safety engineer has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Figure AI, alleging the company disregarded safety protocols while developing its humanoid robot. The suit claims that in the engineer's first week, he discovered a lack of formal safety procedures and inadequate oversight for the powerful robots.
Despite initial approval of a safety roadmap, company leadership allegedly dismissed concerns about the robots' capabilities. The lawsuit details that a robot's impact tests generated force more than twice that needed to fracture an adult human skull, and an incident where a robot malfunctioned and punched a refrigerator, narrowly missing an employee.
Figure AI has refuted these allegations, stating the safety technician was terminated for poor performance and that the claims are falsehoods. The company, which has seen significant valuation growth, is in a race with other firms to bring household humanoid robots to market, amidst growing concerns about the industry's rapid, unchecked development.
