ShareChat Founders Pivot to Humanoid Robotics With Low-Cost ''Atom 01'' Prototype

A new Bengaluru-based startup, General Autonomy, has stepped into the humanoid robotics arena with a prototype named Atom 01. The company, founded two years ago by ShareChat co-founders Farid Ahsan and Bhanu Pratap Singh, is taking a decidedly different approach by focusing on affordability and accessibility to build a developer-first ecosystem in India.

The team is positioning the Atom 01 as what they call "India's first life-sized walking humanoid robot." The founders, who pivoted from the world of mobile apps to advanced hardware, are not aiming to sell a finished, single-purpose machine. Instead, their goal is to create a hardware platform that lowers the barrier to entry for other developers and industries to build real-world applications.

The Platform Strategy

General Autonomy's core pitch revolves around cost. The founders state that the Atom 01 prototype was built from the ground up for under Rs 20 lakh (approximately $24,000 USD). They contrast this with the typical landing cost of imported humanoid robots in India, which they claim is often upwards of Rs 75 lakh (approximately $90,000 USD).

By drastically reducing the capital cost, Ahsan and Singh hope to foster a developer community similar to that of mobile app stores. The idea is that an affordable, capable platform will allow others to build and test applications for a wide range of tasks, from industrial automation to complex domestic chores.

Hardware and Development

The Atom 01 is a 31 kg bipedal robot that the team claims it built in just four months. According to the founders, the machine was constructed largely in-house at their Bengaluru lab, using custom-machined components, aluminium, and carbon profiles, with key components like motors being imported.

• Locomotion: The robot's walking gait is trained using reinforcement learning. The team runs thousands of virtual models in simulation to learn locomotion before applying the resulting policies to the physical robot.
• Current Status: The machine is clearly an early-stage prototype. Recent demonstrations show the robot walking, though its gait appears to be in the early phases of refinement. The current build lacks a head and hands.
• Future Goals: The founders note the robot is "still under development" and that hands are forthcoming. The stated goal for the hardware is to be able to lift a payload of up to 10 kg and eventually perform tasks like opening doors or using tools.

What's Next

General Autonomy's effort is less about competing with the high-end agility of robots from firms like Boston Dynamics and more about creating an accessible, practical tool. The immediate goal is not to perfect a single application, but to provide a stable platform with "deep, whole body control" that allows other developers to start building.

By tackling the price barrier, the startup hopes to unlock a new wave of robotics innovation in India, focused on solving practical problems like labor scarcity in industry and, eventually, the home.

Watch a video of the robot on Instagram.