A robotics CEO sees a 'moral imperative' to build an army of humanoids - Business Insider
Subscribe Newsletters AI # This startup wants to build an army of humanoid robot soldiers By Lloyd Lee You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Key takeaways
The most recent headlines show that the humanoid‑robot market is moving from prototype showcases to large‑scale manufacturing and strategic acquisitions. 1X’s NEO platform, which began preorder in October 2025, has entered full‑scale production at a 58,000‑square‑foot factory in Hayward, California, and the company says it will be able to build up to 100,000 units a year by the end of 2027, aiming to bring a $20,000 home assistant robot capable of chores, scheduling and basic interaction to U.S. households. At the same time, Meta has announced the purchase of Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup that develops foundation models for whole‑body humanoid control, signaling the social‑media giant’s intent to integrate advanced AI‑driven robots into future consumer products. In the industrial arena, Schaeffler is partnering with Hexagon Robotics to roll out 1,000 AEON humanoids across multiple factories starting in late 2026, with a longer‑term goal of 1,000 units by 2032, while its collaboration with VinDynamics aims to extend actuator technology to additional robot makers. Apptronik, bolstered by a fresh $935 million Series A round, has appointed former Waymo executive Daniel Chu as chief product officer and is preparing to launch its Apollo humanoid for commercial use in logistics, elder‑care and other sectors. Market analysts at Roland Berger project that, if current development trajectories hold, worldwide revenues from humanoid robots could reach $300 billion by 2035, potentially climbing to $750 billion under optimistic scenarios. Finally, the startup Foundation has begun testing its general‑purpose humanoid robots in a supply‑transport demo in Ukraine and has secured a $24 million Pentagon contract, underscoring growing interest in military applications despite remaining challenges such as battery life and durability.
Subscribe Newsletters
AI
This startup wants to build an army of humanoid robot soldiers
By Lloyd Lee
You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads Impact Link
Save Saved Read in app
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account?.
Foundation is a startup building general-purpose humanoid robots. Two of Foundation's robots were sent to Ukraine for a demo of a supply transport scenario. CEO Sankaet Pathak said he sees humanoids becoming valuable for precision operations in warfare.
AI-generated summary AI-generated summary
Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information.
We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again.
Humanoid robots rather than flesh-and-blood soldiers could one day take on some of the most dangerous jobs in war — and one startup is already testing that idea in Ukraine.
Sankaet Pathak, cofounder and CEO of Foundation, said there's a "moral imperative" to put humanoid robots on the front lines rather than inpeople's kitchens.
"I thought all of this stuff around home use was kind of stupid," Pathak told Business Insider. "I feel like people can make the coffee and fold their laundry. I was like, 'We need to do something else.'" There was "significant interest based on what has been communicated" to the company, Pathak said. A spokesperson for Foundation said the startup has also secured a $24 million contract with the Pentagon. Eric Trump, the president's son, was appointed chief strategy advisor in March.
Humanoid troops aren't ready for deployment
Pathak said he didn't want to "overstate" the Ukraine pilot. A large gap still exists between a humanoid that can slowly clean a test kitchen and one that can usean M4 carbine in a battlefield firefight.
Battery life and durability are among the constraints. Pathak said robot soldiers need longer battery life and must withstand water, dust, and shock.
Mentioned in this article