We have spent several quarters building the case for readers that humanoid robotics is approaching an inflection point, transitioning from years of training videos and promotional stunt videos to real-world factory-floor deployment.

Multiple leading research desks we have cited expect global shipments of humanoid robots to begin ramping later this year and the years ahead, suggesting the job-displacement wave now hitting white-collar workers through AI chatbots could soon extend to blue-collar labor across warehouses, manufacturing lines, and beyond.

Let's revisit an early February note from UBS analysts led by Phyllis Wang, who forecast that shipments of humanoid robots would begin ramping this year before accelerating sharply in the years ahead. Wang outlined several scenarios, all pointing in the same direction: up and to the right.

Let's fast-forward to Wednesday, when U.S.-based robotics company Figure AI launched a live feed on X and YouTube of its robots "running a full 8-hour shift at human performance levels."

Last week, Figure CEO Brett Adcock told Sourcery's Molly O'Shea about a "near-term" push to bring humanoid robots into homes, where they would perform basic household tasks under a consumer subscription model that could cost "hundreds per month," similar to a car lease.

Adcock said the robots could "cost something like $600 a month" for consumers...

Figure's most recent funding round was in September, when it raised more than $1 billion in Series C financing at a $39 billion valuation.

The increased visibility around Figure, whether through the CEO on a podcast or the startup's new live feed showing robots operating on a factory floor, raises an obvious question: Is the manufactured hype being deliberately amplified ahead of a potential fundraising push?