AI humanoid robot lands starring role on property TV show
A humanoid robot equipped with artificial intelligence has starred in a property renovation show in Australia.
TV star Cherie Barber, dubbed Australia’s Queen of Renovation, has brought in high-functioning machine named Tinnie to act as “renovation apprentice” on her new small screen project The Farmhouse, which will transform 8.3 acres of land in Mulgoa near Western Sydney International Airport.
Cherie said: “Tinnie is the world’s first digitally advanced AI humanoid robot to set foot on a residential renovation site, and that’s what makes it exciting.”
Named after the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz and the nickname given to a can of beer in Australia, the four-legged humanoid robot will not take any tools or perform any manual tasks to replace workers in the field.
The robot will instead be tasked with reading building codes and assisting with design plans.
Cherie explained: “Tinnie is not here to replace humans, skilled experts, or take a drill. She will invite teams on site by giving site demonstrations, reading building codes, checking product specifications, and offering guidance on products and design decisions, while learning how a real structure works.”
“Housing renovation sites can be hectic by nature, so this social experiment is being undertaken to gauge whether Tinnie can be part of the team, truly add value and work safely in this type of environment…
“Tinnie can even take on an unexpected role. If she can act as the team’s motivational coach when things get stressful on the field and hand out a cold ‘tinnie’ at the end of the day, she’ll be everyone’s favourite.”
He added: “Seeing Tinnie up close was both surreal and incredible. Preparing her for a real renovation project has been an interesting process. She’s not a gimmick, the technology is impressive and I’m amazed at how advanced it is.”
He continued on about Tinnie’s role in the project: “He’s not just learning about construction, Tinnie will learn what it means to be human, how we think, feel and interact.
“We’re excited that Tinnie will experience many of the things we humans do, from early morning coffee, learning traditional banter, going to the football and everything in between.
“This is where it’s going to get really interesting, with the property and the renovation adding another dimension.”
The robotic addition comes as part of Cheri’s collaboration with partner Matt Hume and robotics company Unitree Robotics, while the Farmhouse project aims to transform the property and showcase a “pasture-to-plate lifestyle” by adding a greenhouse to grow organic vegetables, orchards, a luxury chicken coop, beehives and a focus on sustainable, self-sufficient living.
Cherie added in a statement: “Robots have been used in commercial and industrial sectors since the early 1960s. Today, robotics widely assists humans in many areas, including robotic surgery, assisted care, research laboratories, precision agriculture and harvesting, and environments hazardous to humans.”
“Robotic vacuum cleaners, mops, pool cleaners and even lawnmowers are already making people’s lives easier at home, so over the next three to five years we will see robots integrating into our daily lives and performing more daily tasks, just like the 1960s cartoon series The Jetsons.
“The future is definitely here, with projects like The Farmhouse helping people understand the future of robotics – a practical tool that works with us, not instead of us.
“People have a real fear of robots, and The Farmhouse series aims to show how robots can make our lives easier, rather than being something to be feared.”
Farmhouse is expected to be released in 2027, and fans can follow developments on Cherie’s Instagram account as well as her YouTube channel youtube.com/cheriebarberofficial.
