
I
f you follow robotics at all, you may have
noticed that there has been an explosion of
humanoid robot startups. What’s with that? Why
humanoids? Why now?
WHAT IS A HUMANOID?
Generally, when people think of a humanoid
robot, they imagine a robot that:
• Looks like a human
• Works in human environments
• Is multipurpose
• Is able to be instructed and interacted
with like a human.
WHY LOOK LIKE A HUMAN?
The world is designed for humans, so robots
shaped like humans should succeed in our
environment.
There is an implicit promise that, because it is
human shaped, the humanoid ought to be able
to do things that humans do now, and more,
ought to be ...