- AI Platforms & Assistants
Speed-learning humanoid robot tries to tackle a new holiday-themed task
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Humanoid)
Share
Share by:
- Copy link
- X
- Threads
- Humanoid recreates an iconic holiday movie scene
- HMND 01 tries its robotic hands at gift wrapping
- It's a humorous demonstration of the capabilities and limits of current robotics tech
Sometimes robot videos are unintentionally funny. Other times, they try for humor and only achieve cringe. Every once in a while, though, you get a little robot comedic gem, actually.
Humanoid HMND 01 Alpha Bipedal, a robot that the company claims was built in just five months and learned to walk in only 48 hours, is back with a new holiday-themed task.
While most robot videos offer almost unbelievable feats of smarts and agility, the teams at Humanoid apparently had something else in mind for this Love, Actually-inspired clip.
You may like-
Russian robot has epic fail and reminds us the future of humanoid robots is epically weird and comical
-
Figure 03 might be the home robot that changes everything – if it ever goes on sale
-
Drone maker lets robot fly drone to prove it's easy to use and scare the heck out of us
In it, the rather imposing 5-ft, 10-inch, nearly 200lb bipedal robot is a store clerk patiently awaiting its next customer. A young woman walks in and requests a toy robot. HMND 01 is equipped with enough sensors (including RGB vision and haptics) to hear the woman's words and uses an NVIDIA back end for autonomy and reasoning. So there's no surprise that it can respond and, using its dexterous hands, grab the small robot.
HMND 01 | Humanoid Robot Wraps a Perfect Christmas Gift - YouTube
Watch On
Things take a familiar turn in the video, though, when the robot asks the woman if she'd like it "gift wrapped." When the woman asks for "something simple," the robot, whose tag describes him as a "Gift Wrapping Trainee: One Month Old," suggests an oversized acrylic box. The woman is concerned it's too much, and then HMND 01 delivers a somewhat familiar line, "This is so much more than a box."
Exactly, the robot is playing a stand-in for Rowan Atkinson's store clerk character in the iconic holiday film.
However, the tension about a philandering husband possibly being discovered because Atkinson is taking so long to wrap the gift is replaced with the robot's somewhat clumsy efforts to fill the box with decorations and, among other things, nuts (as in nuts and bolts).
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.When the woman's husband arrives and asks if she's done yet, HMND 01 explains, "Just a moment, sir. I've only had hands for a week."
It's a cute and sweet homage to a classic scene, but also a reminder that these humanoid robots still need time to develop, and as we watch them plod along, trying to replicate our capabilities, we should perhaps give them a bit of time and maybe some guidance on what is appropriate to put in a gift box.
In a final twist, the robot realizes it's made a mess of things, quietly slides the big box aside, and replaces it with a pre-wrapped robot.
You may like-
Russian robot has epic fail and reminds us the future of humanoid robots is epically weird and comical
-
Figure 03 might be the home robot that changes everything – if it ever goes on sale
-
Drone maker lets robot fly drone to prove it's easy to use and scare the heck out of us
What's next for HMND? Well, Humnanoid is using Nvidia’s Isaac Lab, an open-source robot training platform, to accelerate and compress its learning. I've seen videos of it walking, moving side to side, picking up delicate objects, and being pushed around without falling over. It does all these things, but the movements are all rather slow and deliberate.
For now, the company is not positioning its fast changing humnoid for consumers. Instead, it has industrial ambitions – and maybe a dream of working at Harrods.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
Lance UlanoffSocial Links NavigationEditor At LargeA 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.
Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.
Show More CommentsYou must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Logout Read more
Russian robot has epic fail and reminds us the future of humanoid robots is epically weird and comical
Figure 03 might be the home robot that changes everything – if it ever goes on sale
Drone maker lets robot fly drone to prove it's easy to use and scare the heck out of us
Now we've got robots that can chase and kick us — is this the robot revolution we signed up for?
I went hands-on with Hengbot Sirius, an AI robot that left me wanting more
A robot just learned 1,000 tasks in a single day — and it’s a big deal for everyday AI
Latest in AI Platforms & Assistants
ChatGPT’s new settings range from corporate calm to chaotic bestie
Gemini 3 Flash will make things up when it doesn't have an answer
Claude's Chrome extension delivers convenience at the cost of privacy
A robot just learned 1,000 tasks in a single day — and it’s a big deal for everyday AI
Pinned chats in ChatGPT are here – and so is a mildly annoying restriction
Microsoft AI CEO admits Gemini 'can do things that Copilot can’t do'
Latest in News
Large External SSDs are now cheaper than internal ones as 4TB SATA SSD face extinction due to negligible price difference
Mullvad VPN boosts WireGuard speeds and stability with new Rust-based engine
This gift-wrapping robot is quite funny, actually
HPE tells customers to patch OneView immediately as top-level security flaw spotted
Federal judge blocks Louisiana’s social media age verification law – here's why
Motherboards from Gigabyte, MSI, ASUS, ASRock at risk from new UEFI flaw attack - here's what we know
LATEST ARTICLES- 1Gemini 3 Flash is smart — but when it doesn’t know, it makes stuff up anyway
- 2Watch out, Nvidia - Qualcomm acquires Alphawave Semi in latest addition to its AI data center push
- 3TechRadar Gaming's favorite gaming devices of 2025: personal picks from all the year's gear
- 4Large External SSDs are now cheaper than internal ones as 4TB SATA SSD face extinction due to negligible price difference
- 5Arm sheds billions in market capitalization after Qualcomm hints at RISC-V adoption with Ventara Micro acquisition