{
  "id": 8153897,
  "title": "Video: Robot walks into 30 stranger homes — then makes beds, folds towels and cleans up",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/video-robot-walks-into-30-stranger-homes-then-makes-beds-folds-towels",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-18T01:22:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/technology/video-robot-walks-into-30-stranger-homes-then-makes-beds-folds-towels-and-cleans-up-1.500677555"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A humanoid robot called Helix 2.5, developed by California-based robotics firm Figure, has made headlines for its ability to navigate and perform household tasks in unfamiliar homes. In a groundbreaking demonstration, the robot successfully completed three tasks in 30 previously unseen residences in the San Francisco Bay Area without prior data collection or fine-tuning for individual settings.\n\nThe three tasks assigned to Helix 2.5 were: tidying a living room by gathering scattered objects like toys and placing them in a basket, folding towels and setting them aside, and making beds in unfamiliar bedrooms. The robot was able to adapt to different furniture layouts, varying object placements, and changes in room dimensions, lighting, and flooring.\n\nFigure claims that Helix 2.5 achieves this level of \"zero-shot\" generalisation, meaning it does not require training or adjustments for each new environment. The key breakthrough, according to Figure, lies in the robot's use of a proprietary Index dataset of human behavior, which enabled it to recognize and respond to new goals and environments safely.\n\nWhile the demonstration showcases impressive progress in embodied AI, there are still significant challenges to overcome before a household robot can be considered truly reliable. Such a robot would need to function safely around children, pets, fragile items, and unpredictable human behavior, while also having enough battery life, robust privacy protections, and an affordable price point for mainstream adoption. For now, Helix 2.5 represents a significant milestone in the development of humanoid robots but is not yet a consumer-ready product.",
  "summary": "A humanoid robot enters a home it has never seen. No map. No special training. No prior data from inside the house. Then it starts making the bed, folding towels and tidying the living room. California-based robotics company Figure has unveiled Helix 2.5 , a new artificial neural network (ANN) that it says allowed its humanoid robot to complete household work across 30 unfamiliar homes without…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}