Silicon Valley garage culture shows its magic again! The editor of Downcodes takes you to the Kind Humanoid company to find out how it builds a bipedal robot named Mona. The startup is unique in the competitive robotics space with its unique retro style and focus on the home care market. Although their working environment looks a bit messy, it is full of innovative spirit and DIY enthusiasm, just like the spirit of the early computer age in Silicon Valley, which is impressive.
In Silicon Valley, garage culture has given birth to many technology legends, and Christoph Kohstall's garage may be next. Electrical components, workbenches, and mechanical tools abound throughout his workspace, but the most eye-catching feature is the red industrial beams on the ceiling—a gantry system used to stabilize the robot during its testing phase.
Kohstall is the founder of Kind Humanoid, a startup developing a bipedal robot called Mona. Although their work environment may seem chaotic, that's the spirit of Silicon Valley's sleepy homebrew computer scene. Kind Humanoid's robot prototype looks like a prop from an 80s movie, cobbled together from various parts and full of retro charm.
The team at Kind Humanoid recently received support from renowned designer Yves Béhar. Béhar was attracted by the team's innovative spirit and efficient work. They recently showed off Béhar’s renderings of a humanoid robot with a unique shape that’s both quirky and dreamy. The robot's appearance design avoids being too anthropomorphic to prevent falling into the "uncanny valley" effect, and its hoof-like feet are designed to stabilize bipedal walking.
Béhar's design borrows elements from the aesthetic of Belgian painter René Magritte, conveying the robot's intentions and emotions through images of clouds in the background. The Kind Humanoid team intentionally avoided making a robot that was too lifelike, focusing their design more on functionality, envisioning Mona as a home care assistant.
Unlike most humanoid robot manufacturers targeting industrial settings, Kind Humanoid has its sights set on the home care market. Kohstall believes that the industrial market is already very crowded and that in many ways specialized robots already serve the industrial market well. On the contrary, the versatile movement of bipedal robots on stairs and cluttered environments gives them greater potential in home environments.
Kind Humanoid's initial customers may include nursing facilities and families of seniors who want to remain independent. The use of advanced robots in home environments is an underexplored market, with most commercial efforts focused on bringing humanoid robots to warehouses and factories.
Although this all seems a long way off, the Kind Humanoid team is in no rush to raise funds and is more focused on innovation. Kohstall said the team is building the first dozen Mona robots, with plans for field testing early next year. Most parts of these robots can be injection molded, meaning they can be mass-produced and cost-effectively.
The story of Kind Humanoid is full of science fiction, and their robot dream is gradually becoming a reality in a Silicon Valley garage. With the continuous advancement of technology and the promotion of innovative spirit, we have reason to expect that these DIY robots will play an important role in the future home care market.
Kind Humanoid’s Mona robot has breathed new life into the robotics industry with its unique retro design and focus on the home care market. Let's wait and see how this unique robot changes our lives in the future!