Lately, hardly a week goes by without some humanoid robotics news. Last week, London-based Humanoid offered a first look at its HMND 01 robot in action. The startup said the video above demonstrates the humanoid’s mechanical design, motion control, and artificial intelligence integration.
Serial entrepreneur Artem Sokolov founded Humanoid.ai in 2024. The company, also known as SKL Robotics Ltd., said its mission is to develop commercially scalable, safe, and general-purpose humanoid robots.
Humanoid has brought together experts in robotics, AI, and industrial design to create intelligent, adaptable robots. It said HMND 01 marks “a major step towards efficient human-robot collaboration.”
“At Humanoid, our team believes in a future where humans and machines work side by side, not in competition, but in harmony,” stated Sokolov. “This societal shift will address social issues such as workforce shortages and aging population while giving people more freedom to focus on more creative and meaningful work. The strongest argument in favor of humanoids is that the world is already designed for humans, so they can seamlessly integrate and quickly adapt to existing environments.”
HMND 01 has a modular design, ‘garments’
Humanoid said its next-generation HMND 01 stands 175 cm (5 ft., 9 in.) tall and weighs 70 kg (154 lb.). It can reach a walking speed of 1.5 m/s (5.4 kph or 3.3 mph), has an average runtime of four hours, can carry payloads up to 15 kg (33 lb.).
The company claimed that HMND 01 achieves “human-level or higher” manipulation speeds for complex tasks and that it can accurately navigate confined spaces.
Humanoid added that it designed the robot’s hardware and software with a modular concept. Customers could incorporate different upper-body, lower-body, and end-effector configurations to ensure adaptability, better meet their requirements, and reduce costs.
In addition, HMND 01 comes with a wide range of interchangeable garments to protect both its systems and the surrounding environment.
HMND 01 can be dressed with for protection and different applications. Source: Humanoid
Humanoid plans for multiple use cases
Humanoid said it built its robots with hardware and software stability as core design principles. The company said they offer a low total coast of ownership (TCO) and are suitable for mass commercialization.
HMND 01 is intended to efficiently serve across various use cases and industries, starting with applications such as goods handling, picking and packing, kitting, and part handling. The robot could enhance automation levels in retail and manufacturing facilities, logistics and fulfillment centers, and warehouses, said Humanoid.
“With a world-class team, Humanoid has ambitious plans for the year ahead,” said Sokolov. “In 2025, we plan to develop and test our alpha prototype for two platforms — wheeled and bipedal. We’re also in ongoing discussions with leading retail companies for potential pilot projects.”
The number of humanoid robots is growing, albeit from a very low initial figure. ABI Research has predicted that the global market for humanoids will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 95% from 2022 to 2030, reaching a value of $6.5 billion (U.S.) by the end of the decade. The market research firm forecast that annual shipments could reach 1,000 units this year and 182,000 units by 2030.
Also last week, humanoid developer Apptronik Inc. raised $350 million in Series A funding. Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of the Austin, Texas-based company, discussed his strategy as a guest on The Robot Report Podcast.
At the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston on April 30 and May 1, sessions will include “The State of Humanoids” and “Redesigning Atlas: Boston Dynamics on the Future of Humanoids.”
