Yogi

Yogi, developed by Cartwheel Robotics, represents a paradigm shift in humanoid robotics, prioritizing human companionship and emotional connection over industrial utility. Founded by Scott LaValley, a veteran from Boston Dynamics and Disney Imagineering, Cartwheel emerged from stealth in 2025 with Yogi as its flagship prototype. The robot embodies 'toddler proportions'—150 cm tall, 47 kg, with a large head, rounded chubby features, and soft medical-grade silicone skin that invites touch while ensuring safety through woven soft goods protecting joints from pinch points. This design evokes friendliness, contrasting with 'terrifying' industrial humanoids like early Atlas iterations. Architecturally, Yogi employs a proprietary full-stack platform integrating custom hardware, firmware, motion systems, behavioral logic, and embodied AI. At its core is the Locomotion Language Model (MLM), which transforms text or speech inputs into unique, expressive whole-body movements, ensuring novelty in interactions. This extends to non-verbal communication via lifelike eyes, a bright smile, natural gestures, and dynamic head illumination that shifts colors (e.g., calm blues to playful yellows) to convey mood and atmosphere. Powered by an edge AI module with NVIDIA Jetson-class GPU running Linux (ROS2-based), it achieves low latency (350 ms glass-to-action) and supports LLM integration for intuitive responses. Hardware includes 36 degrees of freedom (10 per hand), brushless servo motors with Harmonic Drive gearing, high-torque actuators boasting industry-leading torque density (up to 15 kg strength), and built-in overload protection for reliable, safe operation around humans (IP42 ingress protection). Mobility features adaptive navigation with 4K depth + stereo vision cameras, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/5G connectivity, max speed of 6 km/h (walking 4 km/h), and 3-hour runtime per swappable high-capacity battery charge, enabling 24/7 operation via quick 3-minute swaps. Manipulation performance scores 3/5, suited for light logistics and workplace assistance. As of late 2025, Yogi remains in prototype stage, debuting its full-body walking version at the Humanoid Summit in December 2025. No large-scale deployments yet, but early development talks with a leading North American medical institution signal pilots in healthcare for gentle assistance and reminders. Interest from universities for research platforms, hospitality for guest greetings, and future home use for routines like clean-ups. Cartwheel's Reno, Nevada facility (Oddie, opening Jan 2026) and seed funding aim to scale production. Backed by Humanoid Global Holdings, Yogi targets markets where emotional intelligence fosters trust—hospitals, hotels, education—evolving via continuous learning to perform practical tasks while brightening spaces. Challenges include cost justification for homes, potentially via service models, but its focus on 'soulful' personality positions it uniquely amid competitors like Figure or Tesla Optimus.