The Tesla Optimus's new rival is better dressed, but no, I still wouldn't feel "at ease" with it in my home

Design Product Design The Tesla Optimus's new rival is better dressed, but no, I still wouldn't feel "at ease" with it in my home News By Joe Foley Published 12 July 2026 Meet Northstar, a more European creepy robot. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission....

Design Product Design The Tesla Optimus's new rival is better dressed, but no, I still wouldn't feel "at ease" with it in my home News By Joe Foley Published 12 July 2026 Meet Northstar, a more European creepy robot. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: UMA) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter For a lot of people, the concept of AI-driven humanoid robots remains terrifying. Aside from the brief moments of hilarity when Tesla's Optimus falls over or turns out to be an actor dressed up, the prospect of robots becoming part of everyday life recalls dystopian sci-fi worlds, like those of Terminator or I, Robot.Their physical designs don't help. Like the infamously impractical Cybertruck design, Optimus's appearance seems to be modelled on a sinister Blade Runner-inspired vision of the future. But a European startup has come along that thinks it can make robots more appealing. UMA might be a late comer to the space, but it's showing that a European AI robot would at least be more sartorially elegant, because of course it would. Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Figure AI's Figure 03 robots (Image credit: Tesla / Boston Dynamics / Figure AI)Based in Paris, UMA was only founded last year. It's a relatively little-known name, but its leadership team is a veritable supergroup. The CEO is Rémi Cadène, who led AI on Tesla's Optimus. He's joined by Pierre Sermanet, formerly on the robotics team at Google DeepMind, Simon Alibert from the AI platform Hugging Face and the hardware designer Rob Knight.Latest Videos FromWatch full video here: They've recently revealed a 40kg humanoid robot called Northstar, which is being billed as a safer and more palatable addition to an increasingly competitive space. UMA, which stands for Universal Mechanical Assistant, builds and owns its whole stack, from hardware to software, which it says means it can ensure safety across every level. UMA unveils its vision for the next generation of robots, Remi Cadene at Machina Summit - YouTube Watch On It also says that Northstar has a key advantage in how it learns. Many industrial robots need to be specifically programmed for each new task, but Northstar will be capable of "real-time learning". It watches a human completing a task, attempts to replicate it, and gradually improves its performance through repetition, like humans themselves learn. You may like Why a robot dog with Elon Musk's face is wandering around San Francisco OpenAI's first hardware isn't the revolutionary iPhone killer we expected From Microsoft Mico to Apple's Little Finder Guy: why a cute brand mascot isn't enough Cadène has compared it to how children learn to tie their shoelaces by watching, practicing, and then gradually refining the skill. Demos at the company's Paris lab show robotic arms using computer vision to sort objects by colour.Unveiling our Northstar design @UMA_Robots A body that can navigate our spaceHands that can use our toolsApproachable, competent, calmA robot you feel at ease having at your workplace and home pic.twitter.com/qRulfeH0e1July 7, 2026From Optimus to Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Figure AI's Figure 03, the expressionless black visors of many current robots serve several functions. They protect multiple cameras and sensors, and they help to avoid the uncanny valley effect that comes with artificial human visages while clearly framing the devices as functional equipment.Get the Creative Bloq NewsletterSign up to Creative Bloq's daily newsletter, which brings you the latest news and inspiration from the worlds of art, design and technology.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.That's supposed to make them less unnerving for the humans that work alongside them, but it also makes them look cold and somewhat sinister. UMA seems to have put some thought into this. The video above is a CG imagining, but it's interesting to see that the company is already paying a lot of attention to Northstar's outfit in an aim to soften its appearance.All the same same, I'm not quite convinced by Rémi's claims that this is a "robot you feel at ease having at your workplace and home". The motion-sensing security camera in the entrance to my building makes me feel nervous. How would I relax being shadowed by a robot that learns from me?Microsoft and Nvidia-backed Figure AI appears to be currently leading the robotics race, with its devices at the BMW plant in Spartanburg providing a real working example of a humanoid robot doing human work at commercial scale. Boston Dynamics is now working with Hyundai on a similar collaboration.As for Tesla, it claims to be targeting low-volume production of Optimus 3 this summer, but Elon Musk is notoriously flaky when it comes to forecasting product milestones. Tesla has announced no external customers. For its part, UMA has no shipping product yet, but it says it's in discussions with around 50 potential customers and plans to launch pilot programmes in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare by the end of the year. TOPICS Tesla Joe FoleySocial Links NavigationFreelance journalist and editorJoe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango. 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Source: Creative Bloq AI Art — Published July 12, 2026 at 11:00 UTC — Category: Image AI