Foundation Startup Deploys Humanoid Robots in Ukraine for Supply Transport Pilot

Foundation, a startup building general-purpose humanoid robots, sent two of its Phantom robots to an undisclosed location in Ukraine in February for a closed pilot demonstration of a supply transport scenario, Business Insider reported. The test focused on supply pickup, demonstrating that bipedal robots can carry supplies from outside to inside and avoid putting soldiers at risk of being shot at, according to Sankaet Pathak, cofounder and CEO of Foundation.

Pathak said he sees humanoids becoming valuable for precision operations in warfare.

Pathak stated there's a 'moral imperative' to put humanoid robots on the front lines rather than in people's kitchens. 'I thought all of this stuff around home use was kind of stupid,' Pathak told Business Insider. 'I feel like people can make the coffee and fold their laundry.

' Foundation wants to deploy its robots for reconnaissance and supply logistics. The Phantom test demonstrated that bipedal robots can be used for certain applications, Pathak said. Ukraine has been fighting off a Russian invasion for years, Pathak noted.

'Most of the places are a battlefield as soon as you start going out of Kyiv,' Pathak said, describing the environment where the demonstration took place. 'You can hear bombs go off. You can hear electricity get cut.

' Foundation secured a $24 million contract with the Pentagon, a Foundation spokesperson said. Pathak said the current approach to war is often 'brute force,' either risking soldiers' lives or destroying a building to eliminate a single target.

He believes that in the future, humanoids could execute 'surgical' operations, such as extracting a target. Pathak said he didn't want to 'overstate' the Ukraine pilot, noting a large gap still exists between a humanoid that can slowly clean a test kitchen and one that can use an M4 carbine in a battlefield firefight.

Battery life and durability are among the constraints, with robot soldiers needing longer battery life and the ability to withstand water, dust, and shock.

Reliable manipulation — the ability for a robot to pick up an item and do something with it, like pulling the trigger on a rifle — remains a major technological bottleneck, Pathak said. 'Right now, the big engineering hurdle is how do you build a highly-dextrous hand that is reliable, easier to manufacture, isn't too massive, and isn't too expensive,' he added.

Pathak offered predictions for overcoming these challenges, saying key engineering hurdles could be solved within a few years and that humanoid robots could carry out complex missions, such as target extraction, within five to 10 years.

There was 'significant interest based on what has been communicated' to the company following the test, Pathak said. ' 'So if you actually need to shoot a gun, you need a human to really sign off, which is what happens with drones today as well,' he said. 'But then there are exceptions to those cases as well, like an anti-drone gun or the Iron Dome.

' Pathak said 'Courage comes in limited supply,' while arguing that China is not having the same debate over military humanoids and that the US, Europe, and their allies need to be on alert.