Robotics Special: Genesis AI unveils the 'anti-humanoid'

Welcome back, Superhuman. If you think you know what a humanoid robot is supposed to look like, you may be in for a surprise. A Palo Alto robotics startup just unveiled a sleek new humanoid design that throws the usual playbook out the window. Meanwhile, Waymo is making its own pivot and has dipped its toes into the subscription economy.

1. Meet the humanoid robot designed to look nothing like a human: While most robotics startups are aiming to build humanoid robots as close to humans as possible, Genesis AI is going the opposite direction with Eno, a wheeled 'humanoid' robot that ditches the typical look and opts for a more minimalist, appliance-like design instead. Built to blend into a living room, the robot is entirely headless and faceless, and successfully performed lab automation in demos. Take a peek at the unique design here.

2. Waymo's most loyal passengers no longer have to wait in line: The robotaxi company just launched Waymo Premier, a new invite-only subscription tier that gives frequent riders in San Francisco, L.A., and Phoenix priority matching, five free cancellations per month, and 10% back in loyalty credits — all for $29.99 a month. The move targets power users in some of Waymo’s busiest markets as the company ramps up expansion and looks to build reliable revenue streams beyond per-trip fares.

3. Honor’s anticipated Robot Phone makes a high-profile appearance: The Chinese smartphone brand unveiled its Robot Phone at the Shanghai International Film Festival this week. The device features a motorized camera extending from the phone body like an antenna, tracking subjects automatically through robotic motion control. It served as the festival's official imaging partner, shooting jury members and red carpet moments throughout. The phone goes on sale to the public in Q3. See it in action here.

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🧹 Cleanup Crew: Stringman is a DIY robot that hangs from cables anchored to a room's four corners and uses a gripper to pick up toys, clothes, and household mess from the floor. Unlike humanoid robots, it covers an entire room from above, reaches under furniture, and plugs directly into the wall. The plans are free on GitHub, and ready-to-build kits are available for those who'd rather skip the assembly. See it in action here.

🛡 On Guard: Defense firm Milrem Robotics has unveiled a concept to line NATO's entire 2,150-mile eastern border with ground robots, aerial drones, and networked sensors designed to make first contact with threats before any soldier does. The plan would create permanent robotic defense zones from Finland to Poland, absorbing early losses and buying commanders time to respond without immediately putting troops at risk.

🧑‍⚕ Cancer Crusher: Even after chemotherapy, a tiny fraction of tumor cells (sometimes just one in a thousand) survive and hide, eventually causing cancer to return. Finding drugs that kill them has been nearly impossible to test at scale, until now. Scientists have built a robotic lab platform that ran the equivalent of 10k week-long experiments automatically, identifying 9 drugs with efficacy against these cells across multiple patients.

Here are the biggest developments in the robotics space that you should know about:

The new Microsoft Azure Copilot migration agent turns complex migration data into clear answers. Through natural language prompts, you can evaluate readiness, risk, ROI, and automate landing zone requirements to make confident decisions. Streamline planning and analysis, so migrations are better scoped, better justified, and far less error‑prone.

Download the playbook

Those long walks don’t have to feel so long.

Dnsys has dropped the Z1, a robotic knee exoskeleton that boosts leg power during movement. It uses AI to detect motion and provide real-time support on climbs, descents, and stairs. The lightweight frame reduces joint strain and improves stability during hiking, sports, and everyday use.

You can check it out here.

On social media, what you see is not always what you get.

Phone farms — rooms full of automated rigs tapping, swiping, and scrolling through short videos around the clock — are quietly distorting the numbers behind the content you see every day. These systems generate artificial views, fake watch time, and manufactured likes at scale, deceiving advertisers, suppressing genuine creators, and corrupting the recommendation algorithms that determine what gets seen. See the robotic farms here.

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Until next time,

Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team

*Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.