The Tesla Optimus's new rival is better dressed, but no, I still wouldn't feel 'at ease' with it in my home. For a lot of people, the concept of AI-driven humanoid robots remains terrifying. Aside from the brief moments of hilarity when Tesla's Optimus falls over or turns out to be an actor dressed up, the prospect of robots becoming part of everyday life recalls dystopian sci-fi worlds, like those of Terminator or I, Robot.

UMA, a Paris-based startup that stands for Universal Mechanical Assistant, is trying to make AI robots more appealing. The company's leadership team includes Rémi Cadène, who led AI on Tesla's Optimus, and Pierre Sermanet from Google DeepMind. They've revealed a 40kg humanoid robot called Northstar, which they claim will be safer and more palatable.

Northstar is designed to learn through real-time observation, much like humans learn by watching and practicing. Its outfit may soften its appearance compared to the expressionless black visors of many current robots, but it's uncertain if this will truly make humans feel at ease having them in their homes or workplaces. The motion-sensing security camera in my building entrance makes me nervous; how would I relax being shadowed by a learning robot?

While UMA is still in the early stages with no shipping product yet, it has secured discussions with around 50 potential customers and plans to launch pilot programmes in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare by year-end. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Nvidia-backed Figure AI leads the robotics race, with its devices at the BMW plant in Spartanburg providing a real working example of human work done by commercial-scale humanoid robots.