The robotics industry loves a good, healthy debate. Of late, one of the most intense ones centers around humanoid robots. It\u2019s been a big topic for decades, of course, but the recent proliferation of startups like 1X and Figure \u2014 along with projects from more established companies like Tesla \u2014 have put humanoids back in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
Proponents of the form factor point out that we\u2019ve built our world to fit ourselves, so it makes sense that we would build robots like ourselves to fit it. There are also certain advantages in terms of reach, the ability to walk up stairs and the dexterity that comes with our design.<\/p>\n
Of course, anyone who tells you that the human body is the pinnacle of organic machinery is either misinformed or lying to you. I\u2019ve spent the past year dealing with something called \u201cdegenerative disc disease,\u201d a perfect testament to our imperfect design.<\/p>\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Agility Robotics (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The form factor also flies in the face of decades of conventional wisdom that has championed single-purpose robots \u2013 that is machines that are built\u00a0 to do one thing extremely well a whole lot of times. And then there\u2019s the whole \u201cgeneral purpose\u201d part, which tends to get tossed around with little thought to its underlying complexity.<\/p>\n Humanoid robots can, however, now claim a big tech name among their ranks. Bill Gates this week issued a list<\/a> of \u201ccutting-edge robotics startups and labs that I\u2019m excited about.\u201d Among the names are three companies focused on developing humanoids. The first and most prominent is Agility<\/a>, whose Digit robot looks the least like a human of the three. Also included are Apollo-maker Apptronik<\/a> and UCLA\u2019s RoMeLa (Robotics and Mechanisms Lab)<\/a>, which is behind the soccer playing ARTEMIS.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what Gates has to say about Apptronik,<\/p>\n What\u2019s more useful: multiple robots that can each do one task over and over, or one robot that can do multiple tasks and learn to do even more? To Apptronik, an Austin-based start-up that spun out of the human-centered robotics lab at the University of Texas, the answer is obvious. So they\u2019re building \u201cgeneral-purpose\u201d humanoid bi-pedal robots like Apollo, which can be programmed to do a wide array of tasks\u2014from carrying boxes in a factory to helping out with household chores.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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