Robotics · 2026-11-06
I Watched a Humanoid Robot Clean My Apartment
A journalist booked a cleaning in San Francisco performed by a humanoid robot, which is still piloted remotely by humans.
What the service is
Tau Robotics, a startup in San Francisco, offers apartment cleaning with humanoid robots. The MIT Technology Review journalist joined the waitlist after an X post and booked a visit.
The robots are not autonomous yet. Humans pilot them remotely, watching through cameras in the robots' heads and wrists. Every counter wiped and every T-shirt folded becomes data that Tau uses to train its AI models for future, more independent robots.
How much it costs
Tau originally charged $30 per hour for a single robot. Current prices are $60 per weekly cleaning with two robots, or $100 for a one-time visit.
The journalist notes that even at the lower rate it is not a great deal. The robot is thorough but slow, so doing the cleaning yourself is often faster.
How the robot performed
The robot is about 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) tall and has a 3D-printed head with antennae and two claw-like hands. It wears grippy socks to avoid scratching hardwood floors.
The robot struggled on the outdoor stairs and on the carpeted stairs inside, so the company's staff had to carry it. During one visit it stalled because the equipment used by its remote operator overheated in the hot weather. The robot and the staff left before the booked hour ended. The company apologized, refunded the visit, and offered a free one.
On the second visit the robot cleaned the kitchen well but did not clean the stove. The most impressive task was the toilet: three times the brush head fell off, and each time the robot reattached it.
Flaws and what comes next
The robot is still rough. It left taps dripping, knocked over a closed bottle of olive oil, and could not set back up an air purifier it had tipped over.
The company says such robots could someday handle dangerous or physically hard jobs, such as mold remediation or home health care. The author also notes that automation could cost people their jobs, and the United States has few policies yet to support those who lose work to AI.
Useful from the source
- San Francisco’s newest tech tourist attraction — A New York Times article about Waymo self-driving cars in San Francisco, which the author references.
Sources: 🔗 MIT Technology Review — AI