Most Humanoid Startups Haven’t Shipped. This One Has.
Automated Podcast 48:54
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“We wanted to ship before we talked.”
Fauna Robotics didn’t announce its humanoid robot until it was already in customers’ hands. But this isn’t a factory robot, and it’s not chasing industrial hype.
In this episode of Automated, Rob Cochran explains why the company built a lightweight, developer-first humanoid platform and why shipping, modular AI, and real-world experimentation matter more than flashy demos in the early innings of robotics.
Brian and Rob discuss developer ecosystems, teleoperation versus autonomy, pricing and scalability, and what it will take for humanoids to move beyond prototypes and into everyday spaces.
Key Moments:
00:00 “We Wanted to Ship Before We Talked” - Launching Only After Customers Had Robots
01:07 Coming Out of Stealth and Introducing Sprout
03:18 Why Build a Lightweight, Expressive Humanoid Instead of a Full-Scale Industrial Robot
04:40 From Control Labs to Humanoids - Rob’s Path Into Robotics
06:01 Developer Platforms as a Through Line in His Career
08:36 Designing for Human Environments, Not Factory Floors
09:55 The “Earliest Innings” of the Humanoid Industry
11:00 Why Fauna Is Targeting Developers First
14:05 Designing for Emotion and Avoiding the Uncanny Valley
16:18 Early Customers: Disney, Boston Dynamics & Research Labs
19:04 The Developer SDK and Out-of-the-Box Capabilities
22:00 The AI Stack - Reinforcement Learning, Simulation, and Modular Autonomy
25:33 Shipping Hardware vs. Posting Demo Videos
28:07 Manufacturing, Supply Chains, and Scaling Realities
29:55 Building a Robotics Ecosystem - The Apple Computer Analogy
32:49 Pricing Strategy - From $50K Today to Sub-$10K Ambitions
35:49 Retail and Human-Interaction Use Cases
39:18 The Long-Term Vision for the Home
43:16 Teleoperation vs. Full Autonomy - What’s Real Today
46:40 Direct Sales, Service Model, and Scaling Internationally
Sponsored by SANYO DENKI America: SANMOTION delivers precise, reliable multi-axis control for advanced robotics systems. Learn more at https://www.sanyodenki.com/america/.
Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpcochran/
Learn more about Fauna Robotics: https://faunarobotics.com/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
Find the transcript and more episodes at automate.org/podcast.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
Fauna Robotics didn’t announce its humanoid robot until it was already in customers’ hands. But this isn’t a factory robot, and it’s not chasing industrial hype.
In this episode of Automated, Rob Cochran explains why the company built a lightweight, developer-first humanoid platform and why shipping, modular AI, and real-world experimentation matter more than flashy demos in the early innings of robotics.
Brian and Rob discuss developer ecosystems, teleoperation versus autonomy, pricing and scalability, and what it will take for humanoids to move beyond prototypes and into everyday spaces.
Key Moments:
00:00 “We Wanted to Ship Before We Talked” - Launching Only After Customers Had Robots
01:07 Coming Out of Stealth and Introducing Sprout
03:18 Why Build a Lightweight, Expressive Humanoid Instead of a Full-Scale Industrial Robot
04:40 From Control Labs to Humanoids - Rob’s Path Into Robotics
06:01 Developer Platforms as a Through Line in His Career
08:36 Designing for Human Environments, Not Factory Floors
09:55 The “Earliest Innings” of the Humanoid Industry
11:00 Why Fauna Is Targeting Developers First
14:05 Designing for Emotion and Avoiding the Uncanny Valley
16:18 Early Customers: Disney, Boston Dynamics & Research Labs
19:04 The Developer SDK and Out-of-the-Box Capabilities
22:00 The AI Stack - Reinforcement Learning, Simulation, and Modular Autonomy
25:33 Shipping Hardware vs. Posting Demo Videos
28:07 Manufacturing, Supply Chains, and Scaling Realities
29:55 Building a Robotics Ecosystem - The Apple Computer Analogy
32:49 Pricing Strategy - From $50K Today to Sub-$10K Ambitions
35:49 Retail and Human-Interaction Use Cases
39:18 The Long-Term Vision for the Home
43:16 Teleoperation vs. Full Autonomy - What’s Real Today
46:40 Direct Sales, Service Model, and Scaling Internationally
Sponsored by SANYO DENKI America: SANMOTION delivers precise, reliable multi-axis control for advanced robotics systems. Learn more at https://www.sanyodenki.com/america/.
Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpcochran/
Learn more about Fauna Robotics: https://faunarobotics.com/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org.
Find the transcript and more episodes at automate.org/podcast.
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter: https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
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