Humanoid demonstrated pre-alpha prototype at STARTUP AUTOBAHN Expo 2025

This month, we showcased the pre-alpha prototype of our general-purpose humanoid robot HMND 01 at STARTUP AUTOBAHN Expo in Stuttgart — Europe’s leading innovation platform connecting cutting-edge startups with global industrial leaders.

As one of the UK’s fastest-growing AI and robotics companies, Humanoid took the stage to show its progress just one year after its founding. The live demonstration became an important step in our journey toward developing safe, reliable, and commercially scalable general-purpose humanoid robots.

HMND 01 pre-alpha demonstration. Source: STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play

The future of human-robot interaction

The HMND 01 prototype blends speech, motion, and vision-based feedback to create intuitive and natural human-robot interaction. Key features of the prototype include:

• Natural, open-ended dialogue: HMND 01 can engage in wide-ranging conversation and provide context-specific information, including information about the company, its origins, mission and technology.
  Face-tracked head movement: The robot uses real-time face tracking to maintain eye contact and mirror human presence through lifelike head movements like nodding or turning.
• Context-aware visual feedback: Visual indicators (such as a “listening” signal) help understand the robot’s internal state and make communication more human-like and transparent.

HMND 01 pre-alpha demonstration. Source: STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play

Technology behind the demonstration

The pre-alpha prototype demonstration also highlighted the deep technical stack behind its capabilities. The robot head is fully actuated, enabling smooth, expressive movement. A face- and gaze-tracking camera captures live user positioning, while the visual display provides immediate, contextual feedback. A microphone and speaker system handle audio input and output, supporting clear audio in noisy environments. 

On the software side, speech recognition powers fluid interaction, while a responsive motion controller translates gaze and face tracking data into lifelike head movements. A visual feedback engine ties it all together by expressing the robot’s internal “thinking” or “listening” states. 

Built for real-world tasks

The HMND 01 pre-alpha prototype combines power, precision, and endurance — all essential for real-world industrial use. It features a two-finger dexterous gripper to perform complex manipulation tasks with high accuracy. It can lift heavy items up to 15 kilograms. 

Mobility is another standout feature. The robot moves on a wheeled base and can navigate different environments safely and efficiently at speeds of up to 1.5 meters per second. HMND 01 can operate continuously for up to 4 hours on a single charge, making it well-suited for tasks in logistics, manufacturing, and other high-demand settings. 

Our broader goal remains the same: to build general-purpose robots that can augment today’s workforce and address some of the most pressing labor market challenges, such as aging population or workforce shortages. 

HMND 01 will bring value in industries like logistics, manufacturing, and retail: performing tasks such as pick-and-place use cases. These are jobs that are essential to the economy but increasingly difficult to fill. 

Humanoid team at STARTUP AUTOBAHN Expo 2025 in Stuttgart

What’s next for HMND 01?

The HMND 01 platform is designed to quickly evolve. In the near future, the robot will support user personalization — for example, remembering customer preferences in a retail setting, or adjusting tone and content based on repeat interactions. Emotion detection and awareness of gaze direction will help the robot respond with more details and adaptability.

Perhaps most importantly, the system has safety and transparency at its core, so it can assess risk in ambiguous situations and explain its actions clearly when needed. It will be crucial for industrial and public environments.

In the end, humanoid robots will become more intelligent, adaptive, and trustworthy in real-world settings. Our next goal is the launch of the wheeled and bipedal alpha models, scheduled for later this year.

The demonstration in Stuttgart was just a glimpse of what the future of robotics might look like in practice. And for Humanoid, it’s one more step on the path from prototype to production, and from research to real-world impact.

Humanoid team at STARTUP AUTOBAHN Expo 2025 in Stuttgart