Tau Robotics rolled out its first commercial humanoid cleaning service in San Francisco on Thursday, charging $30 per hour for each unit. The company, founded by Alex Koch and his team, offers a narrow menu that includes vacuuming hardwoods, wiping counters, and taking out trash, and it limits each job to two robots at a time.
Unlike earlier prototypes, the robots are not autonomous; Koch said the machines are operated by a human supervisor from a central hub, with AI providing motion planning and obstacle avoidance. One operator, Maya Patel, who works in the company’s warehouse, described the cockpit interface as ‘a tablet that shows live video and lets the user tap a button to move the arm.’
The service has already completed 15 residential jobs, according to the company, and videos posted online show a robot picking up a paper towel and pushing it into a bin. Patents filed earlier this year list the robot’s arm as having 14 degrees of freedom, a feature that allows it to reach around furniture.
Ken Goldberg of UC Berkeley criticized the rollout, saying it is ‘too early’ to claim the robots can perform useful cleaning. He pointed out that the demo videos were likely sped‑up and that the robots still struggle with picking up small objects and sweeping under couch cushions.
Koch said the launch targets households that have never used professional cleaners or that rely on occasional help, and the company is currently accepting a limited number of sign‑ups through a waitlist that requires a neighborhood address. The first customers include a 32‑year‑old single mother who said the service would free her time to care for her children.
The company plans to expand the service to other Bay Area cities next month, and it has scheduled a public demo at the San Francisco Tech Expo on August 12. Investors are watching closely, as the startup aims to raise a $50 million Series B round by year’s end.