Inside Humanoid Robotics: Artem Sokolov on Revolutionizing Human-Machine Collaboration
Artem Sokolov’s Journey and Vision
Artem Sokolov, founder of Humanoid, is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with a remarkable history of growing his family jewelry business to a $1 billion valuation. Motivated by witnessing the grueling conditions of repetitive manual labor, he launched Humanoid in 2024 to create safe, reliable humanoid robots that alleviate humans from physically demanding tasks.
Why Humanoid Robots?
Sokolov emphasizes that the world is fundamentally designed for human proportions and capabilities. Instead of redesigning infrastructure for robots, humanoid robots naturally fit into human-centric environments. Unlike industrial robots, humanoid robots offer versatility — walking, running, grasping, and learning new skills — making them adaptable to a wide range of applications without needing separate robots for each task.
Distinguishing Humanoid in a Competitive Market
With competitors like Tesla and Agility Robotics, Humanoid focuses on practical, market-ready solutions. Starting with pick-and-place tasks in logistics, the company prioritizes affordability and rapid real-world deployment, already moving into commercial testing within a year of founding. Their team of 130+ experts leverages second-mover advantages to avoid early-stage pitfalls and accelerate development.
Ethical AI and Responsible Robotics
Humanoid is committed to ethical development, balancing autonomy and control while protecting data privacy. Starting with industrial applications allows testing in controlled scenarios before moving to household robots. The company maintains rigorous safety protocols and transparency through regular ethical audits and collaboration with Europe’s robotics experts.
Advanced AI Architecture
Humanoid develops proprietary AI models built upon existing Vision-Language-Action (VLA) frameworks, integrating perception and reasoning to enable robots to understand and interact with their environment. Autonomy progresses in stages, aiming for 80% task completion with minimal assistance by 2027 and full autonomy shortly after.
Modularity and Practical Design
The HMND 01 robot features modular design for cost-effective deployment and easy upgrades. Beginning with a wheeled platform for faster market entry, it addresses manipulation challenges first. Modularity also allows customization for protection and branding.
Robotics Engineering for Real-World Challenges
Humanoid combines model-predictive and whole-body control strategies to ensure balance and agility in diverse environments. Learning-based controls improve stability, enabling precise navigation even in confined or unpredictable spaces.
Societal Impact and Workforce Transformation
Sokolov envisions humanoid robots as collaborative partners that address labor shortages and create new job roles, rather than replacing humans. He draws parallels to the internet revolution and emphasizes the need for new workplace regulations and social frameworks.
Commercialization and Cost Strategy
While early humanoid robots are expensive, costs are decreasing with scale. Humanoid targets a realistic price range of $50,000–70,000 per unit with a focus on low total cost of ownership, making robots economically viable compared to human labor costs. Partnerships and sector-specific strategies aim to accelerate adoption.
Future Milestones
Humanoid plans to launch bipedal and wheeled alpha models featuring advanced AI and modularity, alongside pilot projects in logistics and manufacturing. The company recently released a product video showcasing the HMND 01 robot, with ongoing efforts to bring the technology to life through dedicated hardware and software development.
Global Presence and Talent
With offices in London, Boston, and Vancouver, alongside newly opened locations in the U.S. and Canada, Humanoid is focused on attracting top talent globally to drive innovation and growth.