The next humanoid robot might not look human at all
Genesis AI, a French startup backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, says its robot Eno is designed ‘around human capability,’ not looks.
by Robert Hart
Jun 17, 2026, 5:46 AM EDT
Image: Genesis AI
Robert Hart is a London-based reporter at The Verge covering all things AI and a Senior Tarbell Fellow. Previously, he wrote about health, science and tech for Forbes.
The next humanoid robot might not have a head. It might not have legs. It might even sit on a wheeled base and fold down like a deck chair. But, as Genesis AI puts it, “humanoid robots don’t need to look human.”
That explains the look of Eno, the new robot from the French startup backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Genesis says Eno is designed “around human capability” rather than human appearance and is intended as a fully “general-purpose” robot rather than a machine built around a single task, like folding laundry. One part is still very human though: its hands, which the company says are designed to “exactly match the form and function of human hands” so the robot can use tools and objects already built for people.
Humanoid robots don't need to look human.
Meet Eno, our first general-purpose robot.
Not a machine pretending to be human, but intelligence given a body.
At Genesis, we're building a future where robots don't feel cold or distant, but capable, calm, and ready to help.… pic.twitter.com/JisbMOcYzi
— Genesis AI (@gs_ai_) June 16, 2026
Genesis says it plans to begin production and targeted customer deployments by the end of 2026, starting with manufacturing, laboratories, and logistics, followed by hospitals, hotels, and consumers. The company says “additional embodiments” are also in development.
