Tau Robotics, a San Francisco-based engineering startup company, recently launched a human-like robot home cleaning service, charging $30 per hour. Customers can request the robot to vacuum, wipe surfaces, and organize their living space. The service, which opened for applications at the end of July, is currently only available in the San Francisco area and is invitation-only.
According to Alex Koch, CEO and co-founder of Tau Robotics, the initial market response to the service has been very enthusiastic. The company’s humanoid robot, equipped with dual arms, legs, and a mechanical head, not only handles everyday home and office cleaning tasks but also performs deep cleaning tasks such as dusting baseboards, scrubbing tile crevices, and tackling kitchen appliance corners.
Koch mentioned in an interview that at present, AI technology does not enable the humanoid robot to operate independently. In reality, a person operates the robot remotely from a central control center, with AI assisting in task execution.
Engineering professor Ken Goldberg from the University of California, Berkeley, expressed doubts about the maturity of this technology in an interview with ABC News. He questioned whether the robot could truly handle household cleaning tasks effectively, stating that even picking objects up off the floor remains a challenge for current robots, let alone tasks like wiping down countertops and cleaning under cabinets, which are considerably more difficult.
Goldberg also raised concerns about the promotional video provided by Tau Robotics, pointing out that it is difficult for outsiders to verify if the video has been accelerated, whether there is human intervention behind the scenes, or if the scenes have been deliberately arranged.
In response, Koch acknowledged the limitations of the technology but emphasized that the robot is capable of handling certain household chores. For example, “cleaning the floor works quite well at the moment, and simple tasks like wiping kitchen countertops can also be done.”
Reports from KTVU highlighted that the robots’ cameras record the entire cleaning process. The company explicitly stated on its website that the recorded content is not a byproduct of the cleaning process but rather “training data itself,” with household scenes (including unblurred faces) used for AI model training. Goldberg pointed out that the robot’s cameras may inadvertently capture private items in the household, such as bills, receipts, raising privacy concerns.
Tau Robotics emphasized that they do not sell customers’ personal information and pledged not to use facial images for facial recognition technology. Customers can choose not to allow the robot to enter spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms when making appointments, and can also request deletion of the recorded images after cleaning is completed. However, if the images have already entered the AI model training process, they cannot be individually removed.
The service is currently limited to invited customers in the San Francisco area, with a maximum cleaning time of one hour per session. Koch mentioned that the company currently has eight humanoid robots, most of which are still used for research and development purposes.
He recommended that San Francisco residents interested in applying should join the official waiting list on the website and provide community information. The company plans to expand to other areas in the Bay Area starting next year and gradually extend its services to major cities across the United States. The scope of services may also expand to include home maintenance in the future.