In a San Francisco industrial space, a black, shiny, faceless robot named Phantom is spending its day manipulating coloured kids’ blocks. The scene is not a playdate but a demonstration of how Foundation Robotics, a two-year-old start-up, is preparing its humanoid robot for military use.
“We need data from it just interacting with its environment… this is today’s menu,” says Sankaet Pathak, co-founder and CEO. The Phantom MK-1, which I am shown, is not yet battle-ready: it lacks a battery, is not dust- or waterproof, and cannot get up if it falls. Its hands still lack strength and dexterity, and it has no proper wrists.
“A US start-up is developing humanoid robots for military use, including frontline combat, with contracts from the US and Ukraine.”
But Pathak argues that arming future versions of the robot could keep human soldiers out of harm’s way. “Land-based autonomy can be more precise than striking targets autonomously from the air,” he says, pointing to roles such as entering and searching buildings where chokepoints can be lethal. The company claims it is the only US firm developing humanoid robots specifically for a broad range of defence applications, including supply pickup, reconnaissance, recovery of equipment or casualties, and hazard inspection. More controversially, Pathak says, “frontline weaponisation” – warfighting to engage and neutralise threats – is also on the table.
A second-generation model, the Phantom MK-2, is being built in an off-limits part of the facility. According to Pathak, it will be element-proof, have a large battery offering about six hours of runtime, be able to recover from falls, and withstand more force. Its next set of hands will move in far more ways, with wrists that help it to fire weapons.
Foundation Robotics has $24m (£18m) in research contracts to pilot its technology with the US military, and two units are currently being tested by the Ukrainian military. Pathak envisions hundreds of thousands of AI-driven humanoid robots forming a ground force, matching the growing use of autonomous drones in the skies. “A fleet of humanoid robot soldiers could be a major deterrent to conflict,” he says.
The company’s goal is to produce at least 40,000 units a year by the end of 2027, with costs in the long term below $20,000 (£15,000) each. Pathak argues that China is also pursuing the technology and that the West needs to keep up. For now, Phantom MK-1 remains a prototype learning to play with blocks – but its makers are racing towards a future where humanoid robots could take the battlefield.