Fauna Robotics Just Built the First Humanoid You'd Want Home - Yanko Design

"Standing just 3.5 feet tall and weighing about 50 pounds, Sprout is compact and lightweight in ways that most humanoid robots simply aren't. But what really sets it apart are those antenna-like eyebrows perched on its wide, rectangular head. They move up and down like little windshield wipers, giving this robot an expressive quality that feels more Pixar character than sterile machine."

"The eyebrows work alongside a 360-degree LED facial display that animates with different light patterns and colors, plus body language that includes walking, kneeling, crawling, and sitting. Together, these features create a communication style that doesn't rely on mimicking human faces or voices alone. Instead, Sprout uses a whole vocabulary of movement and light to express what it's doing or feeling, which somehow makes it feel less like a failed attempt at humanity and more like its own friendly creature."

"Either way, it's not exactly something you'd want hanging around your living room. That's what makes Sprout so different. This portable humanoid from Fauna Robotics just launched out of stealth mode, and it's taking a completely opposite approach to robot design. Instead of trying to look impressively human or industrial, Sprout leans into something that feels refreshingly approachable and, dare I say it, genuinely charming."

Sprout is a portable humanoid robot by Fauna Robotics, standing 3.5 feet tall and weighing about 50 pounds. The design emphasizes approachability through antenna-like movable eyebrows and a 360-degree LED facial display that animates with light patterns and colors. Sprout expresses intent and emotion using coordinated body language—walking, kneeling, crawling, and sitting—rather than human mimicry. The soft, padded exterior enables safe physical interaction in shared human spaces. Design inspiration draws from helpful fictional robots such as Baymax and Rosie, aiming to feel like a friendly creature rather than an intimidating industrial or eerily human machine.

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