Shuo Yang, who played a pivotal role in Tesla’s humanoid robotics team, is now venturing into something new and exciting. He’s co-founded Mondo Tech, a startup with roots in both Palo Alto, California, and Shenzhen, China. This move comes at a time when humanoid robotics is really picking up steam, with Tesla aiming to roll out 1,000 Optimus robots in their factories by 2024.
Mondo Tech is all about creating smaller, more user-friendly robots for the home. Yang’s inspiration? His own son. He wanted to build a robot that could interact with his child, which is a pretty relatable motivation for many of us. Together with Gao Jianrong, a former director at DJI, Yang launched Mondo Tech with an initial investment of 1 million yuan, which is around $136,500.
Yang is grateful for his time at Tesla, where he helped bring Elon Musk’s vision of general-purpose humanoid robots to life. But now, he’s on a new journey with Mondo Tech, aiming to develop robots that could become valuable companions in our homes and perhaps even serve as a base for wider applications.
In a competitive market, Mondo Tech has its work cut out. Companies like Unitree are already offering affordable robotics solutions at events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). For instance, Unitree’s robot dog is priced at $1,600, which is a stark contrast to the $74,500 price tag on Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot.
While Mondo Tech hasn’t released detailed specs for its robots yet, Yang’s vast experience at Tesla is expected to give them an edge. With the humanoid robot market potentially expanding to 1 billion units per year, as Elon Musk suggests, the rise of new players like Mondo Tech marks an exciting era for household robotics.
