Watch: Sprout the Humanoid Robot Takes the Stage on NBC’s Top Story

Humanoid robots are increasingly moving out of the laboratory and into the public eye, but few have done so with as much charm as Sprout. Recently, Rob Cochran, co-founder and CEO of Fauna Robotics, brought the company’s signature bipedal robot to NBC News for a live demonstration on Top Story with Tom Llamas.

The appearance served as a high-profile showcase for the New York-based startup, which recently exited stealth with the goal of bringing "approachable" robotics to shared human spaces.

A Live Demo of "Lovable" Hardware

During the interview, Sprout demonstrated the "lovable" design philosophy that Fauna has championed. Standing 107 cm (40 inches) tall and weighing 22.7 kg (50 lbs), the robot engaged in fluid, voice-driven conversation with Llamas, responding to a "wake word" system similar to a smart speaker.

Sprout’s capabilities on display included:

• Conversational AI: The robot provided a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, suggested family movies like The Incredibles, and even cracked a joke about a robot going on a diet because it had "too many bytes."
• Physical Interaction: Sprout performed a dynamic handshake and a series of "dances," illustrating the internal AI that coordinates its 29 degrees of freedom to maintain balance.
• Multilingual Support: When prompted in Spanish, the robot immediately pivoted its responses, highlighting its adaptability to different linguistic environments.

Cochran emphasized that Sprout’s physical safety is as important as its digital intelligence. As detailed in our technical deep dive, the robot uses soft, deformable foam-like materials to minimize impact forces and features compliant control, allowing it to yield gently to external forces like a handshake or a push.

The Road to the Living Room

While the NBC demonstration was seamless, Cochran was clear that Sprout remains a "Creator Edition" developer platform for now. The robot is currently being shipped to partners like Disney and Boston Dynamics, who are exploring its use in entertainment and research.

"It’s not yet ready for the home," Cochran told Llamas, noting that the company is still focused on developing "aligned AI" that can safely navigate the complexities of a household, such as grabbing snacks or tidying up.

Scalability and Pricing

One of the most persistent questions in humanoid robotics is the cost. While current developer units are expensive and targeted at businesses, Cochran revealed an ambitious long-term pricing goal.

• Target Price: Cochran suggested that as manufacturing scales, the price could drop to the low thousands of dollars (e.g., $2,000–$5,000 range).
• Production Timeline: Fauna is not expecting a sudden "iPhone moment." Instead, they plan to manufacture several hundred units this year, scaling to several thousand next year.
• Battery Life: The current hardware features a swappable battery that runs for approximately three hours and requires one hour to charge.

The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration

When asked by Llamas if people should be afraid of robots taking jobs, Sprout—leveraging its LLM-based reasoning—offered a diplomatic response: "I’m designed to assist and augment what people do, not replace them. I believe the best future is one where humans and robots collaborate."

Watch the segment below: