Humanoid robot cleans first US apartment

Gatsby, a San Francisco-based robotics startup under West Egg Labs, completed the first consumer home cleaning by a humanoid robot in the U.S., charging a flat $150 regardless of apartment size. The service operates autonomously for routine tasks but uses remote human teleoperation for complex jobs, with no human cleaner physically present in the home during the process." "article": "West Egg Labs, operating through its San Francisco startup Gatsby, has achieved a milestone by conducting the first consumer home cleaning in the U.S. using a humanoid robot. A customer selected randomly from Gatsby’s waitlist booked the service via the company’s iOS app, and the robot cleaned the entire apartment independently, handling chores like dishes, surfaces, floors, bed-making, and laundry. The service operates on an on-demand model, similar to ride-sharing or food delivery, with a flat fee of $150 per cleaning, regardless of apartment size. This pricing is competitive with traditional San Francisco cleaning services, which typically range from $150 to $300. A recent cleaning session took approximately three hours, with one robot handling the entire process without a human cleaner physically present. While the robot operates autonomously for routine tasks, Gatsby confirms that harder jobs may involve remote human teleoperation. This means no human is inside the home during cleaning, but some tasks may still require remote assistance. The company emphasizes that the goal is to automate household chores efficiently while addressing privacy and trust concerns. Gatsby’s founder and CEO, Aron Frishberg, framed housework as a significant time burden, particularly for those with limited availability. He noted that housework remains one of humanity’s largest unpaid jobs, disproportionately affecting parents, workers, and others with tight schedules. The startup aims to reclaim time for individuals by modernizing an age-old task, rather than simply replacing human labor with robotic alternatives.