Humanoid robots begin supervised apartment-cleaning trials in San Francisco

Tau Robotics has begun offering apartment-cleaning visits in San Francisco using four-and-a-half-foot humanoid robots that are still remotely operated by people. Cameras in the robots’ heads and wrists let human pilots observe their surroundings, while sensors can transmit a pilot’s movements for tasks such as making beds and folding laundry. Tau plans to use data from these visits to develop more autonomous machines.

The robots can vacuum and mop without direct human control, but they remain slow and prone to problems. During one visit, a robot struggled with outdoor and indoor stairs, and excessive heat disabled equipment used by its remote operator. A later cleaning went better: the robot cleaned much of a kitchen and a toilet, including reattaching a fallen toilet-cleaning tool several times. It also left taps dripping and knocked over objects.

Tau initially charged $30 for an hour with one robot. Its current prices are $60 for a weekly cleaning with two robots or $100 for a one-time visit. Cofounder Cornelia Weinzierl said the company is considering other difficult or hazardous work, including mold remediation and home health care. The company has completed only a couple hundred cleanings, and wider automation could threaten cleaning jobs.