• World-first AI humanoid robot integrated into a real residential renovation project
• New renovation series set on an 8.3-acre property in Mulgoa, Western Sydney
• “Tinnie” will act as Cherie’s digital renovation apprentice
• Robot will assist with site inductions, building codes, product specs and design guidance
• Project combines renovation, robotics, sustainability and reality television
• Fortnightly episodes will air on Cherie Barber’s YouTube channel
• Media invited to meet Tinnie at a special media call on 28 May
MEDIA RELEASE: Sydney, Australia 18 May 2026
Cherie Barber, Australia’s Renovation Queen™ Launches World-First AI Humanoid Robot on Groundbreaking Aussie Reno Show
TONIGHT, AT 8.00PM (AEST), Cherie Barber, Australia’s Renovation Queen™ will launch a world-first social experiment exploring how an advanced AI humanoid robot will perform as her new ‘renovation apprentice’ in what will be Cherie’s most ambitious residential renovation project to date, The Farmhouse.
Set on 8.3 acres in Mulgoa, just minutes from Western Sydney’s new international airport, this is no ordinary renovation or reality show.
Bringing the future to home renovation, the property sits within a critically sensitive environmental zone and carries a BAL 29 bushfire rating - one of the highest risk levels requiring materials and design to withstand extreme ember attack and radiant heat.
It’s complex, unpredictable and high stakes. And yes, there are a lot of snakes.
And into that environment steps a humanoid robot.
Meet “Tinnie” - A four-foot humanoid robot with book smarts, curiosity and a lot to learn.
This is a genuine world-first, putting a humanoid robot into a live residential renovation project. It’s not controlled. It’s not staged nor is it an entry level robot that’s more of a novelty.
“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,” Cherie Barber said.
Nicknamed “Tinnie” in a nod to both the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz and a well-earned end-of-day Aussie tradie reward; the humanoid robot will take on a central role as Cherie’s digital apprentice.
But don’t expect him to be on the tools!
“Tinnie’s not here to replace humans, skilled tradies or pick up a drill. He’ll welcome crews to site by doing site inductions, recite building codes, check product specs and offer guidance on products and design decisions, all while learning how a real build operates,” Cherie said.
“Residential renovation sites can be hectic by nature so this social experiment is to gauge if Tinnie can be part of the team, genuinely add value and operate safely in that kind of environment,” she said.
Tinnie didn’t just appear on site overnight. He’s the result of six months of planning, testing and collaboration between Cherie, her partner Matt Hume and robotics company, Unitree Robotics.
After months of preparation, earlier this year Cherie and Matt travelled to China to meet the team behind the technology, see Tinnie in action firsthand and start prepping him for life on an Australian residential renovation site.
“Seeing Tinnie up close was surreal and incredible, all at the same time,” she said.
“Getting him ready for a real renovation project has been an interesting process. He isn’t a gimmick, the technology is impressive and I was blown away by how advanced it is.
“Tinnie may even take on an unexpected role. When things get stressful on site, he might double as the team’s motivational coach and if he can hand out a cold ‘tinnie’ at the end of the day, he’ll be everyone’s favourite,” Cherie said.
But the experiment goes well beyond the build. While Tinnie learns the mechanics of renovating, Cherie will introduce him to everyday human experiences.
Audiences will watch as Tinnie, Cherie’s humanoid robot apprentice, begins to understand not just how we build, but how we live, how we connect, communicate and experience the world.
“He’s not just learning construction, Tinnie will be learning what it means to be human, how we think, feel and interact.
“From early morning coffees, learning tradie banter, outings to the footy and everything in between, we’re excited that Tinnie will experience much of what we humans do,” Cherie said.
“That’s where it’s going to get really interesting with the property and renovation itself adding another dimension.”
Alongside the structural transformation, The Farmhouse will attempt a paddock-to-plate lifestyle, developing a greenhouse to grow organic vegetables, fruit orchards, a luxury chicken coop, bee hives and a focus on sustainable, self-sufficient living.
It’s a project that brings together high-end design, sustainability, real-world challenges and future-facing technology all in one place.
From 18 May 2026, audiences can follow every step as the build unfolds with Tinnie’s journey culminating in a nationally broadcast television series in mid-2027.
In addition to the TV series and launching tonight at 8.00pm, the multi-platform series will be filmed in real time with fortnightly progress episodes on Cherie’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/cheriebarberofficial alongside weekly behind-the-scenes and social content on YouTube and Instagram.
“Robots have been used in the commercial and industrial sectors since the early 1960s. Today, robotics commonly assist humans across many areas including in robotic surgery, assisted care, in research laboratories, precision farming and harvesting, and in environments that are hazardous to humans.
“Robotic vacuums, mops, pool cleaners and even lawnmowers are already making life easier for humans in the home so within the next three-to-five years we’re likely to see robots integrated into our daily lives performing more everyday tasks, just like the 1960’s cartoon series, The Jetsons,” Cherie said.
“The future is definitely here with projects like The Farmhouse helping people understand the future of robotics for what it is - a practical tool that works alongside us, not instead of us. People have a genuine fear of robots, and The Farmhouse series aims to show how they can make our lives easier, not be something that’s feared,” Cherie Barber said.
Blending cutting-edge, sophisticated robotics with real-world renovation, The Farmhouse represents an innovative new approach to building and a bold new reality format redefining what renovation shows can be.
When you combine a high-risk, challenging renovation, a sustainable lifestyle and a humanoid robot apprentice learning the ropes of renovating a home and what it takes to be human, anything can happen.
Follow Cherie and Tinnie’s journey on The Farmhouse.
👉YouTube: youtube.com/cheriebarberofficial
👉 Instagram: instagram.com/renoforprofit
👉 Facebook: facebook.com/cheriebarberofficial
👉 TikTok: tiktok.com/cheriebarberofficial
-ENDS-
SAVE THE DATE: MEET TINNIE, a global first, making his Australian media debut at a media call event at The Farmhouse at 11:00AM (AEST) on Thursday 28th May 2026.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES, VISION & IMAGES
For media enquiries, interviews, images or filming access, please contact:
Insight Communications.
Clare Collins - E: [email protected] - M: +61 0414 821 957
Alice Collins - E: [email protected] - M: +61 0414 686 091
JOURNALIST NOTES
CHERIE BARBER, AUSTRALIA’S RENOVATION QUEEN™
Cherie Barber is one of Australia’s most recognisable renovation personalities and property experts with more than 36 years of renovation experience and over 250 property renovations personally completed.
Cherie has appeared on every major Australian television network and is the host of Channel 9’s hit renovation programs Space Invaders and Renovate or Rebuild.
In 2024, Cherie was ranked Australia’s third most trusted and third most relatable television personality by the Australian Media Talent Index. Through her television work, digital platforms and property education programs at Renovating For Profit, Cherie has helped tens of thousands of Australians gain the confidence to renovate and transform their homes.
THE FARMHOUSE PROJECT – WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN
‘The Farmhouse’ renovation commenced on Wednesday 13th May 2026 and concludes in late December 2026.
The Farmhouse project is a major residential renovation, project managed by Cherie Barber and her construction team with work carried out by licensed tradespeople in a construction environment. Representing her most ambitious renovation to date, The Farmhouse is a large red-brick 1980s home + guest house set on 8.3 acres in Mulgoa in Western Sydney. It’s derelict, outdated layout, daggy finishes and zero street appeal will be transformed into a high-end luxury farmhouse estate through a major structural renovation.
The site presents a number of real-world challenges, including a critically sensitive environmental setting and a BAL 29 bushfire rating, requiring materials and construction methods designed to withstand significant ember attack and radiant heat.
Beyond the build itself, The Farmhouse will also attempt to embrace a paddock-to-plate lifestyle. The property will incorporate the growing of organic produce, along with free-range chickens providing fresh eggs and beehives, supporting a move towards more sustainable, self-sufficient living.
Cherie will combine this large-scale property transformation with cutting-edge robotics technology by introducing what is believed to be a world-first humanoid robot stepping onto a real residential renovation site.
TINNIE, CHERIE’S RENOVATION APPRENTICE
What makes this project truly unique is the world-first inclusion of an AI humanoid robot affectionately named “Tinnie” who will work alongside Cherie and her skilled renovation team.
Tinnie will operate on site as Cherie’s renovation apprentice or digital companion, interacting with tradespeople and assisting as an intelligent AI-driven renovation assistant. Tinnie is not designed to replace human jobs. Rather than performing construction work, Tinnie will help explain product choices, design decisions and building processes in a simple and engaging way. Together with Cherie Barber, Tinnie’s inclusion in The Farmhouse will provide a unique reality TV entertainment experience.
THE FARMHOUSE SERIES
The Farmhouse series will be produced by Cherie Barber, Australia’s Renovation Queen™, as both a national television series and a globally distributed YouTube production & social media series through her production company, Your Home Productions, in conjunction with Reel Focus Films.
The Farmhouse series will document the real challenges faced and the decision-making involved in a major residential renovation to achieve a complete transformation of a dated rural property into a high-quality, modern luxury farmhouse through a full-scale renovation.
Cherie Barber’s The Farmhouse series provides the world-first combination of a challenging renovation project, humanoid robot technology and storytelling to create compelling viewing that promises to attract attention and engage an audience of millions of viewers globally.
ROBOT TECHNOLOGY – A GUIDE TO WHAT IT IS AND WHY HUMANS BENEFIT FROM ROBOTICS
While workplace robots may sometimes be seen as pushing human workers out of their jobs, this is not the objective with robots designed to assist and benefit humans, not replace them.
Today, robots teamed with artificial intelligence (AI) are helping humans with a range of tasks including high-risk and complex tasks, often working in places where it’s unsafe for humans to go such as disaster zones.
Robotic-assisted surgery combining a human surgeon’s skill with advanced mechanical precision to perform highly complex, minimally invasive procedures through tiny incisions, results in reduced blood loss, decreased infection risks, and significantly faster recovery times for patients.
In Scotland, scientists are using robotics, AI and sensor technologies to carry out functions like monitoring long-term health conditions and help people in need of assistance with tasks like making phone calls, switching on lights, opening doors and watching TV, to help them live more independently and give carers a break.
Currently in Australia, there are approximately 1.8 to 2.2 million robot vacuum cleaners in use with the adoption rate estimated at (18%-22%) of Australian households - at least 1 in 5 homes now utilise a robotic Vacuum cleaner.
A guide to the history of robotic technologies
- Since 1954, with the first digitally operated and programmable robotic arm, Robots have been part of human life
- 1961: Robots were deployed in manufacturing by General Motors to perform heavy-lifting and welding.
- 1970: SRI International researchers developed Shakey, widely recognised as the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence.
- 1980s: Medical robotics emerged with tools like the PUMA arm being utilized for delicate brain biopsies and by 2000 Honda introduced ASIMO, paving the way for highly advanced, sociable humanoid robots.
- 2002: Homeowners began embracing the Roomba, a popular range of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners manufactured by iRobot bringing autonomous robotics into everyday living rooms.
- 2008: Universal Robots introduced the UR5, the first commercially successful collaborative robot (cobot) designed to work safely alongside humans without safety cages.
- 2010s–Present: Deep learning and AI have vastly improved robot perception. Today, robots power autonomous self-driving cars, explore the surface of Mars, perform minimally invasive surgeries, and manage complex global supply chains.
- Currently the most popular robot appliances for general use include Robotic Vacuums & Mops, Robotic Lawn Mowers, Robotic Pool and Window Cleaners.
Contact details:
Insight Communications.
Clare Collins - E: [email protected] - M: +61 0414 821 957
Alice Collins - E: [email protected] - M: +61 0414 686 091
