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This soft humanoid robot is designed to be ‘physically safe and socially approachable’

DATE POSTED:January 28, 2026
A humanoid robot walks down a hallway in an office setting.YouTube" data-portal-copyright="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO9MEqs7H2s">YouTube" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/fauna_sprout_3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> Sprout stands just 3.5-feet tall and is light enough for one person to carry around. | Screenshot: YouTube

A startup called Fauna Robotics has revealed a new humanoid robot called Sprout it's been developing over the past two years. Standing around 3.5-feet tall, Sprout's design, featuring a soft padded exterior, a wide head, and expressive mechanical eyebrows, was inspired by some of science fiction's friendlier robots like Baymax and Rosie Jetson, the startup's co-founder and CEO, Rob Cochran, told the Associated Press.

With articulated limbs and grippers for hands, Sprout looks ready to tackle dishes, tidy up around the home, or join a factory assembly line alongside humanoid robots like Tesla's Optimus and Boston Dynamics' Atlas. But that's …

Read the full story at The Verge.