Not ready for robots in homes? The maker of a friendly new humanoid thinks it might change your mind - ABC News
# Not ready for robots at home? Friendly new humanoid maker thinks it may change minds A new humanoid robot named Sprout, developed by Fauna Robotics, is making its debut ByMATT O'BRIEN AP technology writer January 27, 2026, 8:02 AM NEW YORK -- As the new r...
Key takeaways
Recent reports show that the global market for humanoid robots is gaining momentum, with installations reaching roughly 16,000 units in 2025—a sharp increase driven largely by Chinese firms such as Shanghai‑based AgiBot, which led the market with about 31 percent of installations, followed by Unitree, UBTech and Leju, while Tesla entered the top five with a near‑5 percent share. Companies are expanding capacity and exploring new business models, including robot‑as‑a‑service rentals for live performances and retail. In the United States, Italian‑based Oversonic Robotics introduced its RoBee humanoid for healthcare and aerospace applications after a high‑profile showcase at CES 2026, and Fauna Robotics debuted Sprout, a 3.5‑foot, soft‑exterior robot designed for homes, schools and social spaces, emphasizing approachable interaction. On the hardware side, Tesollo released a lighter, more compact 20‑degree‑of‑freedom hand (DG‑5F‑S) aimed at accelerating integration of dexterous hands into humanoid platforms. Boston Dynamics demonstrated its Atlas robot performing industrial tasks at Hyundai’s Georgia plant, marking a notable shift from laboratory demos to factory deployment, and the British startup Humanoid announced that its HMND 01 biped has secured around 25,000 pre‑orders and completed pilots with several Fortune 500 firms. Not all outings have been smooth: XPeng’s IRON humanoid fell face‑first during a public showcase in a southern‑China mall, underscoring the ongoing challenges of balance and reliability as the industry moves toward broader commercial use.
Not ready for robots at home? Friendly new humanoid maker thinks it may change minds
A new humanoid robot named Sprout, developed by Fauna Robotics, is making its debut
ByMATT O'BRIEN AP technology writer
January 27, 2026, 8:02 AM
NEW YORK -- As the new robot called Sprout walks around a Manhattan office, nodding its rectangular head, lifting its windshield wiper-like “eyebrows” and offering to shake your hand with its grippers, it looks nothing like the sleek and intimidating humanoids built by companies like Tesla.
Sprout's charm is the point. A 5-year-old child could comfortably talk at eye level with this humanoid, which stands 3.5 feet (1 meter) tall and wears a soft, padded exterior of sage-green foam. Cochran and co-founder Josh Merel, the company's chief technology officer, demonstrated the robot to The Associated Press in mid-January ahead of its public launch. Fauna employees and an AP reporter piloted the robot, using a video game controller, a phone application and a virtual-reality headset. Sprout also knows the office layout enough to be sent on a planned mission, such as to check out the inventory of the break room refrigerator. Forged by stealth startup Fauna Robotics over two years of secret research and development, Sprout's public debut on Tuesday aims to jump-start a whole new industry of building “approachable” robots for homes, schools and social spaces.
The robot is in many ways the first of its kind, at least in the United States, even as rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robot engineering have finally made it possible to start building such machines. If its emotive expressions and blinking lights seem vaguely familiar, it might be from generations of Star Wars droids and other endearingly clunky robotic sidekicks dreamed up in animation studios and children's literature.
Mentioned in this article