Christoph Kohstall, founder of the startup Kind Humanoid, is developing a unique humanoid robot prototype in his Palo Alto garage, surrounded by advanced technology like 3D printers and carbon fiber molding machines.

The unskinned robot, currently devoid of a shell, represents five years of development and is part of a $4 million funding round, with plans to deploy a dozen units for field testing next year.

Unlike other humanoid robots, Kind Humanoid’s design is inspired by surrealist Rene Magritte and features a large visor displaying animations, with floating eyes that convey emotions like intent and thought, Fast company has reported.

The company aims to create a generalist machine that can assist in labor-shortage areas such as healthcare, joining a competitive race in the humanoid robot market alongside industry giants like Figure and Tesla.

Written by Emily Begley