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Where’s My Robot Butler?

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Here’s how we could finally build humanoid robots that do all our domestic chores

By Erico Guizzo & Randi Klett

Published 11/11/2024


This is a non-interactive version of our story “Where’s My Robot?” — it includes all text, images, and videos (note that videos have no audio).

This story is part of IEEE Spectrum’s “Reinventing Invention” special issue.

See the interactive version on our site by using a browser with JavaScript enabled →


A new generation of advanced AI-powered humanoid robots that includes Neo from 1X Technologies, Apollo from Apptronik, Figure 02 from Figure AI, Phoenix from Sanctuary AI, Optimus from Tesla, and Atlas from Boston Dynamics is bringing us closer to the home robot helpers of our sci-fi dreams. What breakthroughs in AI and robot hardware could finally turn an autonomous robot assistant that do all our domestic chores, like Rosie from The Jetsons, into reality?IEEE Spectrum

We Were Promised Rosie

Robots are getting more and more advanced.

The robot baby iCub learns to crawl on the floor.ICUB (ITALIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)

From crawling baby bots to agile humanoids.

Humanoid robot Atlas HD can run and jump over obstacles.ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

Some people worry robots could maybe get a little too advanced…

The latest version of Atlas can do push-ups; another humanoid, Nadia, practices its boxing skills under teleoperation; the robot G1 cracks a walnut with its fist; and two Atlas HD robots perform two backflips in a row.ATLAS/ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS); NADIA (IHMC); G1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS)

…and try to take over like in sci-fi movies.

T-800 from The Terminator movie looking at camera with other robots in the background.
T-800 from The Terminator movie.“THE TERMINATOR” (1984)

The reality is robots still need a lot of improvement.

Before they can rise up, robots need to stop falling down.

Three robots collapse during the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals; Atlas HD humanoids stumble and fall down on an obstacle course at Boston Dynamics.FLORIAN (TEAM VIGIR); HERCULES (TRAC LABS); JOHNNY 05 (TEAM HECTOR); ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

So forget the evil robots.

Let’s talk about the helper robots we’ve always dreamed of.

A digital illustration of a humanoid robot carrying a tray with coffee and cookies in a modern looking home.
Household humanoids could do tasks like preparing and serving meals.

Robots to help us with chores around the house.

Cleaning. Cooking. Organizing.

A digital illustration of a humanoid robot holding a spray bottle and a duster and cleaning a kitchen counter in a modern looking home.
Household humanoids could also do cleaning tasks like dusting surfaces.

Even keeping us company.

Robin Williams as Andrew the android in the movie Bicentennial Man uses a paintbrush along with a child with long brown hair who also holds a paintbrush.
Robin Williams plays the android Andrew in the movie “Bicentennial Man.”“BICENTENNIAL MAN” (1999)

These robots would give us something of immense value: more free time.

A white robot with a large face watches TV next to a woman sitting on a couch in a modern looking home.
Rashida Jones plays an American woman living in Japan with a domestic robot called Sunny in the Apple TV+ show “Sunny.”“SUNNY” (2024)

They could also help aging individuals remain independent.

A white humanoid robot arm wrestles a man with white hair on a kitchen table.
Frank Langella stars in the sci-fi comedy-drama “Robot & Frank,” which features a companion humanoid robot.“ROBOT & FRANK” (2012)

We were promised Rosie.

Rosie, the household robot helper from The Jetsons.
Rosie, the household robot helper from “The Jetsons.”“THE JETSONS” (1962-1963)

Instead we got Roomba.

A Roomba vacuum robot with a dark gray round body and a green blinking button labeled Clean is seen from above.
Roomba is known for its disc-shaped design.ROOMBA (IROBOT)

So the question is…

Where’s My Robot?

The Robot Race Is On

First the good news: It’s an exciting time for robotics right now.

New humanoids are jumping into action at a pace never before seen.

Digit waves hi.DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS)

One of the most famous is Atlas, the acrobatic humanoid from Boston Dynamics.

Atlas HD can jump, lift heavy objects, and do backflips.ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

The newest version of Atlas can contort its body in ways you most definitely can’t.

The new all-electric Atlas has impressive flexibility.ATLAS (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

But Atlas has company.

Tesla and a host of startups are building impressive new humanoids.

A photo collage showing fourteen advanced AI humanoid robots: Nadia from IHMC, Valkyrie from NASA, Optimus from Tesla, Atlas from Boston Dynamics, Digit from Agility Robotics, Walker S1 from UBTECH, T-HR3 from Toyota, Neo from 1X Technologies, Phoenix from Sanctuary AI, Apollo from Apptronik, GR-1 from Fourier Intelligence, H1 from Unitree Robotics, Figure 02 from Figure AI, and G1 from Gitai.
The next generation of AI robots is starting a robotics race.CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NADIA (IHMC); VALKYRIE (NASA); OPTIMUS (TESLA); ATLAS (BOSTON DYNAMICS); DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS); WALKER S1 (UBTECH); T-HR3 (TOYOTA); NEO (1X TECHNOLOGIES); PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI); APOLLO (APPTRONIK); GR-1 (FOURIER); H1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS); FIGURE 02 (FIGURE); G1 (GITAI)

The robot race is on. Check out some of the contenders.

Who’s Going to Build the Best Robot?

Apollo

Apptronik

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult, with a beige and black body, person stands facing forward.
Apptronik has worked on more than half a dozen humanoid robots over the past eight years, including NASA’s Valkyrie. Apollo is the culmination of all this experience and is designed for manufacturability. The company plans to release the robot commercially following a series of pilot projects to demonstrate its autonomous skills.Apptronik

Atlas

Boston Dynamics

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a silver metal body and a round blue head, stands facing forward.
Boston Dynamics is known for its highly agile robots. The company, acquired by Hyundai in 2020, has recently unveiled a new fully-electric Atlas humanoid. Unlike previous generations, it doesn’t rely on hydraulics and is lighter and more compact, while also being able to move and bend its body in ways that exceed human capabilities.Boston Dynamics

Digit

Agility Robotics

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a green and black body and a head with square eyes, stands facing forward.
Created by Agility Robotics, Digit is most accurately described as “bipedal” rather than “humanoid.” It has two legs, but its legs look more like those of an ostrich rather than a human’s. This is a side effect of Agility’s design process, the goal of which was to maximize the efficiency and robustness of legged locomotion.Agility Robotics

Figure 02

Figure

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a sleek dark gray body, stands facing forward.
Founded in 2022, Figure has a very experienced team, which traces its heritage back through the DARPA Robotics Challenge. By iterating very quickly through hardware prototypes, Figure expects to demonstrate commercial viability in real-world use cases, and scale from there to “integrate humanoids into the labor force.”Figure

GR-1

Fourier Intelligence

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a gray and purple body, stands facing forward.
Singapore-based Fourier Intelligence is already mass-producing its GR-1 and GR-2 humanoids. The company’ background is in health-care robotics, and it sees potential applications in medical and rehabilitation contexts, with the robots also available to researchers seeking a humanoid development platform.Fourier Intelligence

H1

Unitree Robotics

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a gray body and a t-shirt that says Unitree, stands facing forward.
Unitree, founded in China in 2016, is well known for its capable and low-cost quadruped robots. H1 was Unitree’s first humanoid, and the company has already introduced a new, smaller model, the G1. Both are designed to be affordable platforms for research, or for companies focused on developing software rather than hardware.Unitree Robotics

Neo

1X Technologies

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, covered in gray, black, and white fabric, stands facing forward.
1X’s soft, tendon-based robot Neo is designed to have very low inertia, with the goal of building a robot that’s safe for humans to be around. The robot will weigh just 30 kilograms, with a carrying capacity of up to 20 kg. 1X, backed by OpenAI, hopes that Neo will become “an all-purpose android assistant to your daily life.”1X Technologies

Optimus

Tesla

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a sleek gray and black body, stands facing forward.
Tesla has a few unique advantages when it comes to building and deploying robots. The company has substantial experience in battery technology, as well as in advanced sensing, computing, and AI for mobile systems. And Tesla is potentially its own first customer for humanoids, finding work for them in its car factories.Tesla

Phoenix

Sanctuary AI

A humanoid robot about the size of an adult person, with a light gray and orange body, stands facing forward.
Sanctuary AI’s goal is to “create the world’s first humanlike intelligence in general-purpose robots.” The company has been collecting extensive amounts of data of humans teleoperating its robots through complex manipulation tasks. Sanctuary AI hopes to leverage that data to train its robots to perform those tasks autonomously.Sanctuary AI

New Humanoids, New Skills

These robots are learning a lot of new skills.

Neo can lift an object like a backpack and hand it to a person.NEO (1X TECHNOLOGIES)

They work hard.

Digit was put to work carrying bins in a warehouse.DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS)

They play hard.

Optimus robots from Tesla display their dance moves.OPTIMI (TESLA)

And they are constantly trying to outdo each other.

Optimus, G1, and GR-1 show off their flexibility.OPTIMUS (TESLA); G1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS); GR-1 (FOURIER)

Adding fuel to this robot explosion is AI.

Some believe that the current artificial intelligence boom will propel robots too.

A white robot with a long neck, camera head, and one arm, holds a little dinosaur toy in its gripper.
AI could help robots learn tasks that have proved difficult for them like grasping arbitrary objects.OPEN X-EMBODIMENT COLLABORATION

AI could finally solve the hardest problems in robotics—such as performing complex and dexterous tasks.

This two-armed robot powered by AI created by Physical Intelligence can fold clothing autonomously.π0 (PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE)

These problems have largely kept humanoids confined to labs as experiments.

Phoenix can grasp cups of different shapes, sizes, and materials.PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI)

The recent wave of AI breakthroughs gave us ChatGPT.

Next, will it teach robots how to make you a sandwich?

A teleoperated humanoid robot looks down while using its hands to assemble a turkey sandwich in a kitchen laboratory.
AI could finally teach robots useful tasks — like making a sandwich.PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI)

Now for the bad news about this fresh batch of bots.

They’re not headed straight for your home.

They’ll first be found in factories and warehouses.

Figure 02 robots working at a car factory.FIGURE 02 (FIGURE AI)

That’s because they are best suited for dirty, dull, and dangerous jobs—jobs you find in an industrial setting, not in our homes.

A humanoid robot the size of a person picks up a cardboard box from a conveyor belt.
Humanoid robot Apollo can lift and carry boxes from one place to another.APOLLO (APPTRONIK)

These robots are still too complex, too costly, and too unsafe for home use.

You definitely don’t want one of them staggering in your kitchen.

Atlas HD accidentally crashes into objects and falls down.ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

So in an era of promising breakthroughs in…autonomous vehicles, planetary exploration, quantum computers, reusable rockets, fusion reactors, drug discovery, and more…

Rockets can be robots, too.FALCON 9 (SPACEX)

What makes it so hard to invent a robot butler?

G1 can perform dynamic tasks like tossing food with a frying pan.G1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS)

Why, so glad you asked!

Time for some robot history.

Robot History: Roomba and Asimo

Roomba first hit stores more than 20 years ago.

Now it roams in millions of homes around the world.

The first version of the Roomba robot vacuums crumbs from a purple carpet.
iRobot’s first Roomba model was introduced in September 2002.ROOMBA (IROBOT)

Take a minute to appreciate what an incredible feat of engineering that is.

A Roomba vacuuming popcorn seen from below through a transparent surface.
Roomba sucks at its job — but that’s a good thing!ROOMBA (IROBOT)

You see, a home is a treacherous place if you’re a lowly little disk on the floor.

Thick rugs. Power cords. Staircases.

A Roomba vacuum robot drives over a thick rug in a modern looking living room.
Roomba can conquer almost any carpet.ROOMBA (IROBOT)

Not to mention…pets.

A gray cat with yellow eyes looks forward while sitting on a Roomba-type vacuum robot.
Cats and robots can be best friends.

Everywhere Roomba goes there’s a trap lurking.

And it’s just sucking dirt.

A Roomba robot vacuums almonds and other debris from a white carpet.
Roomba can vacuum up even large debris like cereal and nuts off the floor.ROOMBA (IROBOT)

Now picture a humanoid stepping into your kitchen to make you a snack.

The number of hazards just ballooned by orders of magnitude.

A tall humanoid robot with two orange arms and large robotic hands holds a spatula and pours batter on a hot plate to make pancakes or crepes in a kitchen.
German humanoid robot Rosie demonstrates its cooking skills.ROSIE (TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY MUNICH/COTESYS)

Uneven surfaces, slippery objects, hard-to-reach spaces, clutter—one small mishap and you end up with a big mess and no food.

A tall humanoid robot with orange arms and large robotic hands removes sausages from boiling water in a kitchen.
Rosie prepares pretzels and sausages.ROSIE (TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY MUNICH/COTESYS)

Humanoid robots are indeed maddeningly complex machines.

Just look at Asimo, one of the most ambitious humanoid projects ever.

Japanese humanoid robot Asimo looks to the right of the frame with a dreamy look on its face.
Asimo daydreaming.ASIMO (HONDA)

Japanese automaker Honda developed the first prototypes in the 1980s.

It took decades and vast sums to turn Asimo into a skilled humanoid.

The legged robots in Honda’s E Series were the precursors to its full-body humanoids.E SERIES (HONDA)

The Evolution of Asimo

Animated sequence of images showing the evolution of Asimo, starting with the E0 bipedal robot in 1986, the P series in the 1990s, and ending with the latest version of Asimo introduced in the 2000s.
Honda’s humanoid efforts started with the E series of bipedal robots in the late 1980s, advanced through the 1990s with the P series, and culminated with its most advanced full-body humanoid, Asimo, in the 2000s.E SERIES, P SERIES, ASIMO (HONDA)

Why Build Robots That Resemble People?

In a 2011 demo, Asimo danced, walked over uneven terrain, and ran in circles.

It also climbed stairs, hopped on one foot, and kicked a ball.

Asimo was able to perform an impressive variety of tasks.ASIMO (HONDA)

But the flawless performance belied a more underwhelming reality:

Asimo’s actions needed to be pre-choreographed.

Japanese humanoid Asimo, with a white body that looks like an Astronaut suit, places one hand over its chest while lifting the other as if saluting an audience.
Bravo, Asimo!ASIMO (HONDA)

Any changes in the environment risked throwing off its routine.

Japanese humanoid Asimo, with a white body that looks like an Astronaut suit, waves both arms while balancing on one foot.
Asimo could stand and even hop on one foot, using its arms for balance.ASIMO (HONDA)

In 2022, Honda forced the robot into retirement.

Poor Asimo wasn’t ready for the real world.

Japanese humanoid Asimo, with a white body that looks like an Astronaut suit, looks at the camera while waving one hand as if saying goodbye.
Goodbye, Asimo!ASIMO (HONDA)

If building a humanoid is so much trouble, it’s fair to ask: Why make robots that resemble people anyway?

Proponents say such robots can operate in human spaces and use human tools.

That means we don’t have to remake our world to suit them.

German humanoid robot Armar, with a green metal body and round face, holds a power drill.
German humanoid robot Armar can use human tools like a power drill.ARMAR (KARLSRUHE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)

It also means robots can work alongside and collaborate with us.

Neo can help you choose a shirt.NEO (1X TECHNOLOGIES)

That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t answer another question: Why are some humanoids designed to look exactly like humans?

Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, with dark hair and glasses, stands next to his android twin Geminoid HI-1, which has the same hair and glasses.
Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro next to his android copy Geminoid HI-1.GEMINOID HI-1 (OSAKA UNIVERSITY)

That’s creepy!

About half-dozen lifelike robotic heads with rubber-like skin and eyes and teeth that look real sit on a shelf.
It’s difficult to build very realistic androids because any imperfections can make the robots appear “creepy.”

It turns out creepy robots are a fascinating topic.

Surely you want to know more about it!

Albert Hubo, a lifelike humanoid robot with a robotic body and a head that's a copy of Albert Einstein's looks forward.
Albert Hubo features a robotic body topped with an Einstein head.ALBERT HUBO (KAIST/HANSON ROBOTICS)

Buckle up for a detour into the Uncanny Valley.

What Is the Uncanny Valley?

You are now entering the Uncanny Valley.

The creepy feeling you may get when you see a really humanlike robot—that’s the Uncanny Valley phenomenon in action.

It was proposed by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970.

Photo collage showing nine creepy lifelike robot heads.
Lifelike androids like CB2, Telenoid, and Geminoid HI-5 are used for research in human-robot interaction. Other robots, like Ameca from Engineered Arts, are used in entertainment, exhibitions, and presentations.CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHILIP K. DICK (HANSON ROBOTICS); SOPHIA (HANSON ROBOTICS); AMECA (ENGINEERED ARTS); HAN (HANSON ROBOTICS); WOMAN (EX ROBOT); CB2 (OSAKA UNIVERSITY); GEMINOID HI-5 (OSAKA UNIVERSITY); TELENOID (OSAKA UNIVERSITY/ATR ISHIGURO LAB); ERICA (JST ERATO ISHIGURO)

The Uncanny Valley Chart

Mori-san conceived this clever chart to convey his idea.

Let’s look first at an industrial robot arm.

Your reaction to its appearance is likely neither positive nor negative.

Now consider a cute humanoid robot.

It can elicit a more positive response because it begins to resemble people.

A human being produces a maximum positive response according to Mori’s chart.

That’s because evolution made humans really good at recognizing other humans.

But our reaction plunges into negative territory if we see a creepy robot.

If it’s not perfectly lifelike, it may resemble a human corpse or a zombie!

That creepy zone is the Uncanny Valley.

A chart showing a curve that grows until it plunges and then grows back higher than before, and along the curve are an industrial robot (start of curve), a humanoid robot (middle), a creepy lifelike robot (at the bottom of the valley formed by the curve's plunge), and a healthy person represented by Albert Einstein (end of the curve).
This illustration shows a simplified version of the original chart that Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori presented in his 1970 article on the Uncanny Valley.

The Uncanny Valley is a conjecture, not scientific fact.

Still, roboticists find it helpful when exploring humanoid design.

Some think that ultrarealistic androids are best for interacting with people.

Others avoid lifelike robots—they don’t want to risk “falling” into the valley.

All right, let’s get out of here.

Robot Hardware and Robot Software Challenges

Let’s get back to the challenges of building humanoids.

It comes down to two things: hardware and software.

A photo collage showing fourteen advanced AI humanoid robots: Nadia from IHMC, Valkyrie from NASA, Optimus from Tesla, Atlas from Boston Dynamics, Digit from Agility Robotics, Walker S1 from UBTECH, T-HR3 from Toyota, Neo from 1X Technologies, Phoenix from Sanctuary AI, Apollo from Apptronik, GR-1 from Fourier Intelligence, H1 from Unitree Robotics, Figure 02 from Figure AI, and G1 from Gitai.
Who’s going to build the best robot?CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: NADIA (IHMC); VALKYRIE (NASA); OPTIMUS (TESLA); ATLAS (BOSTON DYNAMICS); DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS); WALKER S1 (UBTECH); T-HR3 (TOYOTA); NEO (1X TECHNOLOGIES); PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI); APOLLO (APPTRONIK); GR-1 (FOURIER); H1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS); FIGURE 02 (FIGURE); G1 (GITAI)

First, consider the hardware a typical humanoid requires.

Humanoid robot Aila, with a mechanical body covered by white plastic casings, looks forward.
Aila is an advanced humanoid built by German researchers.AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER)

Sensors like cameras and 3D vision modules survey the robot’s environment.

Humanoid robot Aila, with a mechanical body covered by white plastic casings, looks forward, with circles indicating where the robot's cameras and 3D sensor are located.
Aila has two cameras in its head, and a torso with a short-range laser scanner and 3D time-of-flight camera.AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER)

Computers collect the sensor inputs and determine what the robot should do.

Humanoid robot Aila, with a mechanical body covered by white plastic casings, looks forward, with arrows indicating where its computer is located.
Hidden in Aila’s belly is a computer running Linux and the Robot Operating System (ROS).AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER)

Batteries supply power so the robot operates without a clumsy cord.

Humanoid robot Aila, with a mechanical body covered by white plastic casings, looks forward, with a circle indicating where the battery is located on the robot's back.
Aila’s battery packs are in the back.AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER)

Actuators—electrical motors—make the robot move.

Humanoid robot Aila, with a mechanical body covered by white plastic casings, looks forward, with nine circles over its arms, neck, and torso indicating where actuators are located.
Aila uses 14 brushless DC motors for its arms, four linear DC motors for its torso, and two servo motors for the head, plus additional motors for its mobile base.AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER)

The first three—sensors, computers, and batteries—are capable enough.

They keep getting better thanks to Moore’s Law and new battery innovations.

A robot head with multiple cameras looks forward.
Phoenix has multiple cameras in its head.PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI)

But actuators have lagged behind.

No fundamental breakthroughs have improved them on a similar scale.

A cylindrical metal black actuator with wires sticking out rests on a person's palm.
Actuators are typically cylindrical devices, with a metal frame and rotating shaft at its center.

The most advanced actuators consist of a DC motor coupled to a gearbox.

Inside there are also sensors and power electronics.

An exploded view of a robot actuator, showing different components like a brushless DC motor, reduction gear system, sensors, and motor drive boards.
An advanced actuator packs many components, including a brushless DC motor, position encoders, and a reduction gear system.DYNAMIXEL-Y (ROBOTIS)

These actuators are powerful and accurate, thanks to precision-machined parts.

A cylindrical silver metal robot actuator with a hollow center, metal frame, and power and communication ports.
Maxon makes some of the most popular robot motors, with the company’s devices used in a variety of applications, including research humanoids, soccer-playing mobile robots, and Mars rovers.HEJ 90-48-140 (MAXON)

The challenge is that they are complex, bulky, and expensive.

And a humanoid may require 20 or more of them.

An illustration showing the location of the actuators on the G1 humanoid's body.
Every active degree of motion in a robot’s body requires an actuator.G1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS)

Some robot makers are trying to up their actuator game.

They are making compact actuators that are strong and robust against, er, impacts.

Getting kicked is part of H1’s balance and robustness testing.H1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS)

Others are testing direct-drive-type motors, which do away with gears.

Or cable-driven actuators, which are lighter and safer.

AMBIDEX is a cable-driven robot that can give you a high-five and won’t break your hand.AMBIDEX (NAVER LABS)

Other alternatives may emerge by seeking novel bioinspired designs.

One way or another, robot actuators are in need of a radical reinvention.

A robotic hand with five fingers actuated by thin colorful wires driven by motors housed on the forearm.
This hand uses thin cables to actuate its finger joints.HAND ARM SYSTEM (DLR)

Next, let’s look at the software side of things.

Vision, navigation, control—so many components need to work together.

How Digit sees and navigates the world.DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS)

Consider, in particular, robot learning algorithms.

The goal is learning a task—like opening a door—under varying conditions.

Eve is learning to open different kinds of doors.EVE (1X TECHNOLOGIES)

But what if your robot encounters a new type of door and it doesn’t know what to do?

We need robots to learn like we do—humans adapt, correct, and improvise.

Japanese robot HRP-2 suffered a malfunction, shutting down and falling backwards, while facing a closed door at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals.HRP-2 (AIST-NEDO)

Enter AI.

Robotics and artificial intelligence have long evolved hand in hand.

G1 learned this skill using AI and simulation.G1 (UNITREE ROBOTICS)

So it’s no surprise that the rise of generative AI has electrified the robotics industry.

The hope is that AI could finally unlock the power of robot learning.

A photo collage showing over a dozen robot arms performing various grasping and manipulation tasks.
Google Deepmind researchers and their collaborators are using AI to train robot arms to perform a variety of grasping and manipulation tasks.OPEN X-EMBODIMENT (GOOGLE DEEPMIND)

As with most AI systems, the first step is amassing lots of training data.

One method involves humans teleoperating robots to perform various tasks.

Humans performing tasks while equipped with VR gear and wearable sensors generate AI-training data that can be used to teach robots to perform those tasks autonomously.OPTIMUS (TESLA)

Like making a sandwich.

Phoenix robot, controlled by a human teleoperator, attempts to assemble a sandwich.PHOENIX (SANCTUARY AI)

Next you use the data to train an AI model, and then test it on a real robot.

Training can also happen in a virtual environment with simulated robots.

Virtual robots learn to walk and climb in AI-powered simulations as part of Nvidia’s Project Gr00t, which focuses on AI for robotics.PROJECT GR00T (NVIDIA)

It’s unclear if AI can finally “solve” robot learning.

For one thing, training robots one task at a time is a very slow process.

A human operator remote controls the Apollo humanoid to make juice.APOLLO (APPTRONIK)

One way to speed things up is to develop a general-purpose AI model for robots.

A single model would let you perform a variety of tasks on a variety of robots.

A general-purpose robot model, trained on a large robot interaction dataset, would be able to control many different robots to perform many different tasks.π0 (PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE)

Getting this data and training the models will take a lot of time and money.

But if it works, AI robots may finally be ready for the real world.

Neo unloads glasses from a dishwasher; Figure 01 operates a coffeemaker; and Digit removes a tray from a kitchen oven.NEO (1X TECHNOLOGIES); FIGURE 01 (FIGURE); DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS)

Are the Robots Coming or What?

Where does that leave us? Are the robots coming or what?

We don’t know for sure how robots will evolve.

So let’s explore three possible futures.

Humanoid robot Eve, with torso and arms covered by fabric, wheels for feet, and a smiling screen face, stands next to a smiling man with spiky hair wearing a black shirt.
Eve stands next to 1X Technologies founder and CEO Bernt Bornich.EVE (1X TECHNOLOGIES)

Each assumes a different level of technological progress.

And each imagines how robots may become part of our lives.

Figure 02 contemplates its own advanced hands.FIGURE 02 (FIGURE)

FUTURE 1: Small advances in robot hardware and software

Actuators are still chunky and pricey, and robot learning algorithms remain stuck.

A knee-high robot with wheels, plastic white body, and a screen as a head.
Amazon’s Astro is a home robot that can drive around, play music, and record video.ASTRO (AMAZON)

Sorry, don’t expect Rosie to show up at your home.

But you can get a little robot buddy like this one from Amazon.

A little knee-high wheeled robot with a white body and a screen as head spins around.
Astro can create a 3D map of your home and navigate autonomously.ASTRO (AMAZON)

It roams around your house taking photos of your pet.

A little knee-high wheeled robot with a white body and a screen as head stands in front of a black and white dog on a beige couch.
You can remotely connect to your Astro to check in on your pets.ASTRO (AMAZON)

As for humanoids, they find employment in factories and warehouses.

Two Digit humanoid robots with green and gray bodies carry yellow plastic bins in a warehouse.
Digit robots never get tired of moving bins in a warehouse.DIGIT (AGILITY ROBOTICS)

Except for Atlas, who becomes the first YouTube robo-influencer.

This robot’s dance repertoire is quite large.ATLAS HD (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

FUTURE 2: Moderate advances in robot hardware and software

New designs improve actuators, and AI makes robot learning more practical.

A robot consisting of a mobile base that carries a pole with a camera and an arm that can stretch stands against a white background.
Stretch’s arm stretches so the robot can reach objects on tables, shelves, and countertops.STRETCH (HELLO ROBOT)

We’re moving out of lab-demo territory, and robots can finally do useful tasks.

These aren’t the general-purpose humanoids from the movies, though.

A robot consisting of a mobile base that carries a pole with a camera and an arm delivers a cup to a smiling man sitting on a chair while reading a book in a living room.
Stretch uses a simple robotic gripper to grasp household items.STRETCH (HELLO ROBOT)

These handy bots are known as mobile manipulators.

They do your laundry and clean your kitchen.

This two-armed mobile robot from Physical Intelligence can empty a dryer and fold clothing fully autonomously; the Stretch robot from Hello Robot, under teleoperation, can wipe a kitchen counter and load a dishwasher.π0 (PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE); STRETCH (HELLO ROBOT)

They can even take care of your pets for you.

What more would you want? Pfft, a sandwich?!

Stretch, under teleoperation, feeds a treat to a dog, and opens the door to let another dog in.STRETCH (HELLO ROBOT)

And the humanoids? They’re still toiling in factories and warehouses.

Humanoid robot Atlas moves plastic engine covers from one storage cart to another fully autonomously.ATLAS (BOSTON DYNAMICS)

FUTURE 3: Massive advances in robot hardware and software

Big breakthroughs boost actuation and robot learning beyond expectations.

A digital illustration shows a humanoid robot with black and white body cooking in a kitchen by following a recipe on a screen, with a wooden spatula on its hands and red peppers and other vegetables on the counter.
Future humanoid robots will need fine motor skills and adaptability to handle cooking utensils, pots and pans, and ingredients.

At last the future we’ve been waiting for.

The first generation of robot helpers is now ready for our homes.

A digital illustration shows a humanoid robot with purple and white body loading a dirty plate on a dishwasher in a modern bright kitchen.
Tomorrow’s robot helpers will also need to adapt to various household settings, such as different layouts, furniture, and appliances.

Yikes, these droids are pricey! You need a robot lease and robot insurance.

(Who knew robots would be just like cars!)

A digital illustration shows a humanoid robot with purple and white body ironing a shirt next to a window in a room with pink walls.
These robots will have to be extremely safe when operating and navigating in our homes, especially when performing tasks involving heat, chemicals, or sharp objects.

But what can we say?

Our new AI robots are the best. They do the chores. They take care of things.

Sit back and relax while Rosie makes you a sandwich.

Three identical copies of Rosie the robot maid from The Jetsons next to each other against a light blue background.
If the right breakthroughs in AI and robot hardware materialize, a friendly robot helper like Rosie from The Jetsons could one day become part of our lives, helping out with our chores, and more.“THE JETSONS” (1962-1963)

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