Welcome, sci-fi realists…

A Nevada-based robotics company, Richtech Robotics, wants to turn its humanoid robot ADAM into something the internet definitely asked for: a 24/7 interactive streamer bot. 

ADAM was originally billed as a robot bartender. Now, Richtech says it could become the world’s first full-time “robot influencer,” chatting with viewers, answering questions, and presumably saying “don’t forget to like and subscribe” until the heat death of the universe. 

It will be powered by NVIDIA’s Isaac (the Robot Operating System) and Jetson Thor (the onboard compute system for reasoning). 

No one knows how this will look, but the idea that even TikTok influencers could be replaced is just wild. It could be genuinely useful. It could be deeply weird. It could become Twitch Plays Robot Bartender.

Either way, ADAM’s test run will be a fascinating glimpse at where entertainment, robotics, and AI-generated personalities might be headed next. And if the robot influencer era is officially beginning, at least this one can probably make us a drink while we watch.

Anyway, here's what you need to know about robotics right now:

In 2026, everyone can expect Automate Show in Chicago to be a smorgasbord of state-of-the-art industrial robot displays. But, there’s plenty of evidence that these displays are more than just fancy prototypes with TBD release dates sometime in the distant future. 

Case in point: Google-owned Intrinsic develops AI-infused robotics and did a collab with FANUC to show how its workcell (the Intrinsic Intelligence Cell) can put one of FANUC’s robot arms to good use. In robotics, think of a workcell as a workstation that includes the robot plus all hardware/software components needed for it to do its job. 

This particular workcell’s selling point is that it’s both powered by physical AI and modular in nature. In robotics, “modular” means components can be easily taken apart, rebuilt, reconfigured, swapped out and upgraded to meet changing needs. When a company changes its product or process, it won’t be stuck buying all new robotics parts to meet new demands.

The Automate display in particular shows Intrinsic’s workcell powering a FANUC arm to assemble circuitry. Let’s not stop imagining there, though. Intrinsic ended its announcement by saying AI robotics help anything from regional machine shops to global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). 

What this likely means for the future: the concept of modularity in hardware and software powering robots is unknown outside of a small circle. Because companies won’t want to keep purchasing parts to adapt with their changing business models, expect products with retrainable, rebuildable, and reusable parts to become more popular. Especially in industrial settings, modularity is a smart path forward.

Our FYI read: more robotics companies will sign up for a test run with Intrinsic’s Intelligence Cell in the future. Components that are modular and adaptable will gain steam in the coming years. The ability to swap cells in and out, even throughout a single shift to switch robot tasks, makes a lot of sense in a space not known for its task flexibility.

FANUC’s iconic yellow robot arms can do some really complex machine assembly. The Intrinsic display at Automate gave us that impression, but the video below actually shows it in action. In the video, a FANUC arm assembles an automotive rocker arm and even inspects individual parts for quality.

While these are impressive capabilities, what other tasks can it do? Anything ranging from: 

Now, what isn’t working so well right now? 

You may have seen the headlines about clumsy or physically inept humanoids, but what about the ones that are cunning enough to swindle people out of their hard-earned cash? Everyone knows that a robot smart enough to ask for money to replace its own battery can just ask its manufacturer. But, to see one begging on a street corner for battery rechargement cash is an entirely new phenomenon.  

The model was made by Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou, China, as it was confirmed to be a Unitree G1 humanoid. Still, no one knew for sure if it was a stunt or practical joke. One can imagine people falling for it and actually parting ways with their money out of sympathy for this bot, which clearly didn’t need to beg. 

This is yet another example of why humanoids are going to need more testing before they are used by companies, plus a better understanding of what acceptable behavior is. 

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