Cinnamon 1 Robot Masters Silent Gesture Control

Cinnamon 1: Silent Gesture Control Humanoid

January 28, 2026

Explore Cinnamon 1 by Donut Robotics: bipedal humanoid with silent gesture control for noisy factories. VLA AI enables voice-free operation.

Japan’s Donut Robotics unveiled Cinnamon 1, a bipedal humanoid robot that eliminates voice control in favor of silent gesture control. This approach suits noisy worksites like factories and construction sites, where shouting commands over machines proves ineffective. Hand and finger motions get parsed via a custom Vision-Language-Action (VLA) stack to direct tasks without microphones or acoustic tuning.²³

Company Background

Donut Robotics began in a Tokyo garage in 2014 before formal incorporation in 2016.³ The startup develops humanoid and service robots, with existing service models starting around $15,000.³ It emphasizes proprietary VLA AI made in Japan for safe, trusted humanoids.⁶

The company targets practical robotics solutions rather than flashy demos. Information on Cinnamon 1 comes mainly from secondary sources and videos as of early 2026, since no official press release exists yet.¹ This reflects a focus on real-world deployment over marketing hype.

Product Details

Cinnamon 1 stands as Donut Robotics’ first full-sized bipedal humanoid, designed for industrial, security, construction, and service roles.¹ It weighs 60 to 90 kg and runs for 2 hours per charge.¹ Each hand has 5 fingers, using standard biped actuators in a mixed metal and composite build, with a listed price of $165,000.¹

Built on an OEM platform, the robot receives custom AI integration for its core functions.² This setup allows scalability while adding specialized silent gesture control. Such design choices keep costs in check for commercial viability.

Technical Breakdown

Silent gesture control forms the heart of Cinnamon 1, where vision interprets hand and finger motions into task commands — no ASR or mics required.² Advanced onboard AI and a custom robot OS power this system.¹ VLA AI combines visual, linguistic, and contextual inputs for autonomous actions with little supervision.¹²

Development started with commercially available components for faster iteration.³ Gesture recognition handles common signals from construction or factory settings. This makes the robot reliable in high-noise enviroments where voice fails.

Demonstrations and Capabilities

Donut Robotics showed Cinnamon 1 prototypes to Japanese media, highlighting gesture control in action.³ Videos capture the bipedal form responding to silent hand signals effectively.³⁴ These demos prove the system works for practical human-robot interaction.

Applications and Impact

Cinnamon 1 fits construction, factories, security, and service sectors, enabling workforce substitution.¹² It performs tasks like monitoring or basic labor autonomously via gestures. Silent operation shines on busy factory floors — or even quiet indoor spaces where voice disrupts.⁵

The design addresses real limitations of voice-based systems in 90dB ambient noise. Gesture interfaces scale well for team coordination without added chatter. Overall, it streamlines operations in diverse settings.

Paths Forward / Looking Ahead

Donut Robotics plans to deploy Cinnamon 1 at actual worksites by late 2026, moving from prototypes to production.³ Full domestic manufacturing in Japan will follow for future models, supporting local jobs and supply chains.³⁵ Localizing AI development ensures compliance and trust in sensitive applications like security.

This timeline positions Cinnamon 1 ahead of many competitors still refining voice systems. Emphasis on silent gesture control could set a standard for noisy industries worldwide. Success here might accelerate adoption of VLA tech across robotics, proving Japan’s edge in practical innovation.⁵

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