Figure AI conducted a live 10-hour experiment where robots competed against a human in sorting packages.
We got bored. Time for Man vs. Machine https://t.co/HIqPGygWnF
— Brett Adcock (@adcock_brett) May 17, 2026
The task involved scanning barcodes and placing packages on a conveyor belt so that the barcode was facing down.
The robots worked in shifts: one bot replaced another roughly every hour, with another change occurring after just over three hours. The human was allowed breaks and meals by law, while the robots worked continuously.
During the live stream, bets were placed on Polymarket regarding the winner. Many were confident that the androids would prevail, although the task remained challenging for them due to the need for quick reflexes and fine motor skills.
The assumption was simple: the human would tire and slow down. This did happen, yet the human still won—12,924 packages compared to 12,732 for the robots.
The average speed of both differed by only 0.04 seconds—2.79 seconds per package for the human versus 2.83 for the robots.
"This is the last time a human will win," said Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock.
Congrats to Aime!! He said his left forearm is basically broken 😂
— Brett Adcock (@adcock_brett) May 18, 2026
Final scores:
→ F.03: 12,732 packages (2.83 seconds/package)
→ Aime: 12,924 packages (2.79 seconds/package)
This is the last time a human will ever win pic.twitter.com/CalDzPZz4d
At the end of the 10-hour shift, the human received a beer, developed blisters on his hands, and experienced pain in his left forearm. The robots continued sorting, and the live stream is still ongoing.
Recall that in February 2025, the startup Figure introduced its proprietary AI, Helix, for integration with robots.