Robot Industry Split Over That Humanoid Look (axios.com)
(Tuesday May 27, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the pros-and-cons dept.)
- Reference: 0177817827
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/05/27/2231236/robot-industry-split-over-that-humanoid-look
- Source link: https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/robots-humanoid-tesla-optimus
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Axios:
> Advanced robots [1]don't necessarily need to look like C3PO from "Star Wars" or George Jetson's maid Rosie , despite all the hype over humanoids from Wall Street and Big Tech. In fact, some of the biggest skeptics about human-shaped robots come from within the robotics industry itself. [...] The most productive -- and profitable -- bots are the ones that can do [2]single tasks cheaply and efficiently . "If you look at where robots are really bringing value in a manufacturing environment, it is combining industrial or collaborative robots with mobility," ABB managing director Ali Raja tells Axios. "I don't see that there are any real practical applications where humanoids are bringing in a lot of value."
>
> "The reason we have two legs is because whether Darwin or God or whoever made us, we have to figure out how to traverse an infinite number of things," like climbing a mountain or riding a bike, explains Michael Cicco, CEO of Fanuc America Corp. "When you get into the factory, even if it's a million things, it's still a finite number of things that you need to do." Human-shaped robots are over-engineered solutions to most factory chores that could be better solved by putting a robot arm on a wheeled base, he said.
>
> "The thing about humanoids is not that it's a human factor. It's that it's more dynamically stable," counters Melonee Wise, chief product officer at Agility Robotics, which is developing a humanoid robot called Digit. When humans grab something heavy, they can shift their weight for better balance. The same is true for a humanoid, she said. Using a robotic arm on a mobile base to pick up something heavy, "it's like I'm a little teapot and you become very unstable," she said, bending at the waist.
[1] https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/robots-humanoid-tesla-optimus
[2] https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/function-over-flash-specialized-robots-attract-billions-with-efficient-task-2025-05-22/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
> Advanced robots [1]don't necessarily need to look like C3PO from "Star Wars" or George Jetson's maid Rosie , despite all the hype over humanoids from Wall Street and Big Tech. In fact, some of the biggest skeptics about human-shaped robots come from within the robotics industry itself. [...] The most productive -- and profitable -- bots are the ones that can do [2]single tasks cheaply and efficiently . "If you look at where robots are really bringing value in a manufacturing environment, it is combining industrial or collaborative robots with mobility," ABB managing director Ali Raja tells Axios. "I don't see that there are any real practical applications where humanoids are bringing in a lot of value."
>
> "The reason we have two legs is because whether Darwin or God or whoever made us, we have to figure out how to traverse an infinite number of things," like climbing a mountain or riding a bike, explains Michael Cicco, CEO of Fanuc America Corp. "When you get into the factory, even if it's a million things, it's still a finite number of things that you need to do." Human-shaped robots are over-engineered solutions to most factory chores that could be better solved by putting a robot arm on a wheeled base, he said.
>
> "The thing about humanoids is not that it's a human factor. It's that it's more dynamically stable," counters Melonee Wise, chief product officer at Agility Robotics, which is developing a humanoid robot called Digit. When humans grab something heavy, they can shift their weight for better balance. The same is true for a humanoid, she said. Using a robotic arm on a mobile base to pick up something heavy, "it's like I'm a little teapot and you become very unstable," she said, bending at the waist.
[1] https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/robots-humanoid-tesla-optimus
[2] https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/function-over-flash-specialized-robots-attract-billions-with-efficient-task-2025-05-22/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
If bots look like R2D2 instead of (Score:2)
by Tablizer ( 95088 )
...C-3PO, then people inadvertently stuff trash in them.
I don't buy the dynamically stable argument (Score:1)
by nrrd ( 4521 )
I don't buy the "humanoids are more dynamically stable," argument by Melonee Wise. Humanoids aren't the only thing that can shift their balance... You could also have an arm that swings out a stick with a weight on as a counterbalance. Problem solved, and with much less complexity than a full humanoid robot.
THere might be other good reasons for going with a humanoid design, but there are much easier things to balance.
bicycles made for us (Score:2)
If dogs had designed bicycles they would be different for sure. But lots of mountain dwelling critters have more than two legs. I thought two legs were efficent for long distance walking, but for traction and go-anywhere capability, something that can use more limbs sounds optimal to me.
Re: (Score:1)
Goats, rams, and deer can haul ass on irregular landscapes when running from predators. But they can't hold things while running.
Maybe the ideal general purpose bot would look like a centaur , assuming power efficiency isn't the driving factor.