Enigma, a research lab less than a year old, is set to emerge from stealth on Monday with $71 million in funding and a contrarian approach to one of AI's toughest problems: building robots that can handle tasks they were never explicitly trained for. Main Developments Instead of focusing solely on model capabilities, Enigma plans to study how humans interact with robots, hoping these insights will lead to more intuitive interfaces and possibly a new kind of robotic brain. The startup's method stands apart from competitors who analyze millions of web videos, run computer simulations, or collect motion data from humans wearing sensor-equipped gloves. Background Multiple robotics companies are working on foundation models for general-purpose robots, but most emphasize improving the models themselves. Enigma's approach shifts the focus to the human-robot relationship, betting that understanding interaction dynamics is key to unlocking more adaptable machines. Read also: Apple Delays Smart Glasses Launch to Address Privacy Fears Why It Matters If Enigma succeeds, controlling a robot could become as simple as adjusting a volume knob. That would lower barriers to adoption in homes, hospitals, and factories where robots currently require specialized programming for each new task. What's Next With its fresh funding and stealth exit, Enigma will likely begin sharing early research findings and demonstrating its human-robot interaction studies. The robotics community will watch closely to see whether its unconventional path yields a working prototype.