Can we really build a $10,000 humanoid robot on open-source AI?

In this episode of TechFirst, John Koetsier talks with Chris Kudla, CEO of Mind Children, about a radically different approach to humanoid robots. Instead of six-figure industrial machines built for factories or war zones, Mind Children is building small, safe, friendly social robots designed for kids, classrooms, and elder care.

Meet Cody (MC-1), their first humanoid prototype.

Cody is built on open-source AI from SingularityNET, combined with modular hardware, low-torque actuators, and a wheeled base designed for safety, affordability, and mass production. And there's some other AI bits and pieces from all the big name companies that you'd recognize.

Mind Children's goal is ambitious: a $10,000 humanoid robot that families, schools, and care facilities can actually afford.

In this conversation we explore:

• Why social robots may be the real gateway to embodied AI

• How Cody is designed for children and elder care instead of factories

• Why wheels beat bipedal legs for safety, cost, and stability

• How open-source AI and modular software stacks enable faster innovation

• The emotional and ethical challenges of building companion robots

• And what it takes to bring a humanoid robot to market at scale

This is not sci-fi. This is the early blueprint of a future where humanoid robots are personal, affordable, and open-source.

00:00 – The $10,000 open-source humanoid question

01:58 – Meet Cody, the MC-1 prototype

04:10 – Why Cody is small, child-sized, and approachable

06:55 – Designing humanoids for kids and elder care

09:45 – Social robots vs industrial humanoids

12:40 – Wheels instead of legs and why that matters

16:05 – Low-torque actuators, safety, and toy-like design

19:20 – Modular hands, arms, and future upgrades

22:10 – Open-source AI and SingularityNET’s role

25:30 – On-robot vs cloud AI and why it matters

28:40 – Vision, LiDAR, and simulated world models

32:10 – Emotional awareness and social intelligence

35:10 – The $10K target and mass-production strategy

38:15 – The risks of attachment to robot companions

40:00 – Final thoughts on Cody and the future of social robots