By @CNET
Publication Date: 2025-12-21 13:00:00
Robot demonstrations and lawsuits raise questions and concerns about the capabilities – and strength – of humanoid robots.
First in the spotlight is the robotics company Figure AI, which is facing a lawsuit from former safety engineer Robert Gruendel. The lawsuit claims that testing showed the company’s Figure 02 humanoid to be strong enough to “break a human skull” and that Gruendel was fired after he raised concerns.
A recent lawsuit claims that in testing, the humanoid Figure 02 was strong enough to “crack a human skull.”
In a statement to CNBC, a Figure spokesperson denied the allegations and said Gruendel was fired for “poor performance.” We have contacted Figure and Gruendel through his attorneys and have not yet received a response.
Across the world, the CEO of Chinese robotics company Engine AI was recently floored by the company’s own T800 robot, which appropriately (or inappropriately) shared a name with the robot model played by Arnold Schwarzenegger…
