Forget Robot Workers, This Company Wants to Build Soldiers

Foundation Future Industries, backed by former President Eric Trump, is striving to develop humanoid robots capable of serving in combat situations. The San Francisco-based startup has garnered a $24 million Pentagon contract and is presently testing a battle-ready robot with U.S. defense forces. While unmanned aerial drones and vehicles have been utilized in recent military conflicts, Foundation envisions humanoid robots as the next frontier in warfare.

According to Sankaet Pathak, the startup's founder and CEO, once a robot's perception, reasoning, and adaptive behavior reach a certain level of precision, they could replace human soldiers by entering buildings to locate specific targets. Foundation has secured three contracts with the Pentagon and is currently piloting programs in Ukraine, where robots have assisted in moving objects around.

The company has deployed around 10 humanoid robots thus far, with the majority being used for heavy industrial tasks. One of their flagship models is the Phantom MK-1, a man-sized humanoid capable of carrying 40 kilograms. A second-generation robot equipped with AMD chips is currently in development.

Foundation's robots are initially trained for outdoor jobs deemed too hazardous for humans, such as those found in warehouses and shipyards. The data gathered in these settings is then used to train the robots for use in warzones. The company's San Francisco facility currently produces 300-500 robots annually, with plans to build an additional facility to increase capacity.

When asked about their goal of producing 10,000 robots by the end of 2026, Pathak acknowledged that earlier projections were "pretty ambitious." However, he assured that they are moving closer to developing more autonomous robots capable of learning tasks after a few human demonstrations.

Despite the progress made, experts emphasize that large-scale use of humanoid robots in wars is still years away due to the need for technological advancements and regulatory changes. A recent Stanford University report highlighted the practical and ethical challenges associated with deploying robots in battlefields, including concerns about reliability, accountability, cost, and cybersecurity.

Moreover, the U.S. is grappling with potential supply-chain vulnerabilities, particularly in the robotics industry, which is currently dominated by China. In July, the government banned most imports of new humanoid robot models as part of an effort to build an independent and resilient robotics supply chain. This decision will require at least 65% of a robot's total cost to originate from domestic sources through 2028, increasing to 75% in 2029.

Foundation, which sources some components from China, is adapting to comply with these new regulations.

Pathak does not believe that the ban will effectively address the supply-chain gap and instead advocates for increased investment in the local supply chain. Without such investment, the U.S. could face similar issues as it encountered with electric vehicles and drones.