The robots business loves a good argument. Humanoid robots are at the centre of one of the most heated ones right now. The topic of humanoids has been important for a long time, but new startups like 1X and Figure, as well as projects from bigger companies like Tesla, have brought it back to the forefront.
People who like the form factor say that since we made the world fit us, it makes sense that we would make robots that fit us too. With our design, you can also grab things more easily, walk up and down stairs, and use your hands more easily.
That being said, anyone who says the human body is the best piece of organic technology is either not telling the truth or is misinformed. Over the past year, I’ve been dealing with something called “degenerative disc disease,” which is a great example of how flawed our system is.
For decades, common sense has favoured single-purpose robots, which are tools that are designed to do one thing really well most of the time. This shape goes against that. After that there’s the “general purpose” part, which is often thrown around without giving it much thought.
Robots that look like people can now count a well-known tech company among their friends. This week, Bill Gates put out a list of “new and exciting robotics companies and labs that get me excited.” Three of the names are for businesses that are working on making humanoids. Agility is the first and most well-known. Their Digit robot looks the least like a person of the three. Apptronik, the company that made Apollo, and RoMeLa (UCLA’s Robotics and Mechanisms Lab), which made ARTEMIS, which plays football, are also on the list.
Here Is What Gates Says About Apple:
Which is better: a bunch of robots that can all do the same thing over and over, or one robot that can do many things and learn even more? For Austin-based Apptronik, the answer is clear. The company grew out of the human-centered robots lab at the University of Texas. So, they’re making “general-purpose” humanoid robots with two legs, like Apollo, that can be programmed to do a lot of different jobs, like carrying boxes in a workplace or helping with housework.
If we want robots to work in our surroundings as smoothly as possible, maybe those robots should be based on people,” he writes about Agility. Digit has been putting its technology to use in the real world longer than anyone else. For example, a recent test at Amazon warehouses helped pave the way for Figure’s recent deal with BMW.
The piece also talks about Field AI, a robotic vision company, and Tevel, a company that makes drones for picking apples.
Read More: Figure’s Humanoid Robot Will Be Used at Bmw Plant in South Carolina
This kind of support might not make a big difference in the direction of artificial technology, and Gates is not at all a roboticist. It is interesting to see, though, that the form factor is becoming more and more accepted by popular culture every day.
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