A Trump-linked robotics startup is testing humanoids in Ukraine, which is intended for use by the US military

As Silicon Valley races to build humanoid robots capable of folding laundry and pouring lattes, at least one startup is showing a very different use for the technology: war or other potentially dangerous and deadly tasks.

Meet Foundation Future Industries, a San Francisco-based robotics company with ties to the Trump family, developing ‘dual-use’ robots for both heavy industrial and military applications.

Although the robots sound like something out of a Terminator-esque science fiction movie, they are getting closer to reality, with early iterations being tested in Ukraine for use in Kyiv’s war with Russia.

Central to the company’s mission is the belief that humanoid robots should be placed in humanity’s greatest challenges beyond domestic chores and service roles, Foundation CEO Sankaet Pathak told CNBC.

“I’m convinced that technology is getting to the point where it can replace dangerous jobs with humans, and if you can do that, that’s a pretty good sum of money for all robotics applications,” Pathak said.

Although the Foundation operates in an increasingly crowded field of humanoids, its open acceptance of potential military applications for its technology has set it apart.

But the startup has set ambitious goals, as Pathak plans to ramp up production to thousands of units this year, and begin advanced testing with the U.S. military within the next 18 months.

The firm’s programs and growing relationship with Washington represent yet another example of how artificial intelligence and robotics are beginning to transform modern warfare and become a focus of national security.

Pathak is best known for previously leading Synapse, the controversial fintech platform that declared bankruptcy in 2024. Soon after, he started the Foundation with Arjun Sethi, former CEO of Tribe Capital and Mike LeBlanc, founder of Cobalt Robotics.

Pathak’s latest venture has drawn scrutiny after the company suggested it had close ties to General Motors and could get an investment from the automaker, something GM later denied.

The Foundation would finally receive more international recognition earlier this year when it sent two of its Phantom MK-1 units to Ukraine for a demonstration pilot, marking what the company described as the first known deployment of humanoid robots in theater.

The ongoing tests, supported by the US government and conducted with Ukrainian officials, focus on the use of the material in hazardous areas.

Ukraine was a natural starting point, as its ongoing conflict with Russia has emerged as a major test bed for robotics and AI in warfare. The war, now in its fifth year, has seen the use of ground robots to deliver supplies to the front line, as well as autonomous and AI-augmented drones for precision strikes and reconnaissance.

According to Pathak, tests of the MK-1 in Ukraine have already proven the robot’s ability to make pickups, which often put soldiers at risk.

But while the MK-1s help demonstrate the use of basic technology, they are far from military-grade, carrying only a 44-pound payload, and lacking the waterproofing and battery life to be used at scale.

The Foundation aims to send new and improved robots to Ukraine this year in the form of its Phantom 2, which Pathak says will come with “superhuman capabilities” and double the payload capacity of the Phantom 1.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry declined to comment on the matter, while the US Defense Department did not respond to the inquiry.

The Foundation expects its testing in Ukraine to inform future work with the US military. The startup has already received government research contracts worth up to $24 million to test the feasibility of testing, deploying, and carrying weapons across the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Pathak said discussions with government officials have moved from research to increasing the use of robots. The CEO intends for the Foundation to use its expertise with the US military and, if necessary, on the front lines of conflicts within the next 12 to 18 months.

In particular, that goal will be achieved with Eric Trump, the second son of the sitting president, who recently joined the company as its chief strategic adviser – a move that has been criticized by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has accused the company’s government contracts of “blatant corruption.”

A spokesperson for the Foundation told CNBC that Eric Trump was an investor in the company before joining as a consultant, and the two groups share a common vision of bringing manufacturing back to the US.

The Foundation leans heavily on its dealings with Washington interests, placing the importance of its expertise on the wider geopolitical competition between the US and China. The goal is to bring “the best robots we can build” to the U.S. military — better than anything China has,” Pathak said.

While several American companies are working with the US government to install autonomous robots for military use, the Pentagon has yet to disclose the deployment of a humanoid robot for these purposes.

China, which has many leading companies in humanoid robots, has also financed and supported technology programs, mainly focused on industrial and economic applications. While Chinese military researchers have released reports on the potential of humanoid robots in the military, the extent of their tests remains unclear.

The Chinese military has already demonstrated AI-powered robot dogs for combat, as well as motion-controlled robot soldiers.

Proponents of humanoid technology in the military and industrial sectors argue that humanoid robots are generally better suited than other types of robots to navigate real-world construction sites, transportation facilities and war zones.

Kateryna Bondar, executive director of the Wadhwani AI Center at CSIS, told CNBC that humanoid robots can offer advantages on the battlefield because of their autonomy and human-like intelligence.

“Today’s urban combat spaces – where there are stairs, stairs, basements and small corridors – are created by the movement of people, which can give humanoid systems an advantage over tracked robots or four in certain situations,” said Bondar.

However, there are still questions about the difficulty and cost of producing humanoids compared to other systems.

As humanoid robots move onto the battlefield, the technology has raised ethical concerns, particularly regarding the use of autonomous decision-making in combat where human lives are at stake.

While most weapon uses of the Phantom robots will keep human verification in the decision loop, Pathak said the Foundation robots will need to make completely autonomous decisions in certain critical situations.

However, the US military has already shown a willingness to use AI models, with the technology reportedly being used to inform strikes and decision-making in its ongoing conflict with Iran.

The biggest hurdle for companies like Foundation could be proving that their human-like robots can be more effective and cost-effective in military applications than alternatives on the market — something many experts doubt.

“Making robots look human is a complex and expensive engineering challenge, and what Ukraine has taught us is the opposite – that we need the ability to adapt quickly and produce quickly and at low cost,” said Melanie Sisson, senior director of the Brookings Foreign Policy Program.

What experts seem to agree on is that, regardless of shape or size, the age of AI robots in the military is upon us.

“I expect tracked, flying and underwater robots to replace human capabilities,” said Toby Walsh, senior scientist at the University of New South Wales’s AI Institute.

However, it may be a “science fiction trope to expect humanoid-style robots,” he said.