Ex-Tesla engineer plans AI robot to replace European retirees in workforce - Washington Examiner

More

Technology

Ex-Tesla engineer plans AI robot to replace European retirees in workforce

By Victoria Baeza Garcia

Published July 7, 2026 4:05pm ET

Add Washington Examiner on Google

Ex-Tesla engineer Remi Cadene unveiled plans to build an AI robot to automate industrial processes amid a decline in the working-age population, targeting Europe first.

The humanoid robot, called “Northstar,” will be used in manufacturing plants, logistics warehouses, and homes, Cadene revealed at the Machina Summit on Tuesday in Paris, France.

Recommended Stories

AI-model Claude has “internal neural patterns”: Anthropic

Pritzker signs bill mandating third-party safety audits of AI models

Judge delivers mixed bag to Elon Musk in Twitter fraud case appeal MICROSOFT CUTS 4,800 JOBS AS IT NAVIGATES AI REVOLUTION

Cadene is himself the CEO and co-founder of a Paris-based startup called UMA, which develops general-purpose AI and humanoid robots. Before founding the startup, he worked on Elon Musk’s driver-assistance system, Autopilot, and the Optimus humanoid robot.

UMA aims to showcase a proof of concept by the end of the year, using wheels rather than legs, and is already in talks with 50 potential customers about use cases for the AI robot.

Tag:

Artificial Intelligence Big Tech Europe Robots Technology

Washington Examiner

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube “Labor costs are very high and, given the demographic trends, there will be significant demand,” he said, in reference to the continent’s aging population.

The lightweight robot is expected to weigh 40 kilograms (88 pounds) so it can safely interact with humans, and will be trained to use real-time learning technology, learning a skill by watching a demo and eventually improving at it, according to Bloomberg.

“This is how a child learns to tie his shoelaces, first by being taught how to do it, then improving by practicing,” Cadene said.