• wahming@monyet.cc
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    6 months ago

    What’s the use case, though? There really isn’t much benefit to humanoid form robots outside of looking good to human aesthetics. Much of what robotics and automation would be good for don’t actually require humanoid forms.

    • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Navigating human environments. Imagine a team of these robots toting moving boxes down the stairs of a third floor apartment and loading them into a truck.

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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        6 months ago

        Assuming it actually works good. Right now they’re probably going to get a limb caught irrecoverably on a doorknob.

      • wahming@monyet.cc
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        6 months ago

        Yes? A triped robot would have just as much ease navigating human environments, while having much more stability. Same logic applies to arms and joints - there’s no real reason to limit it to what humans have, it would likely perform much better in other configurations.

        • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Seems like a tripod robot would offer little benefit over a bipedal one while having more parts (costing more).

          • wahming@monyet.cc
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            6 months ago

            A total inability to fall over or navigate any terrain regardless of roughness isn’t a benefit? Increased manipulators would also increase productivity / capability, probably much more than making up for increased cost.

            Your argument is essentially that the human form is the best possible one imaginable, which I find highly doubtful.

            • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              My argument is that humans have built our cities to be navigated best by the human form, so that in that environment it is the best form. In most terrains a quadruped form is better.

              • wahming@monyet.cc
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                6 months ago

                Put it this way - does it seem like cats and dogs have any trouble navigating our environment?

                  • wahming@monyet.cc
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                    6 months ago

                    Current prices are meaningless. It’s not mass production or retail pricing. I doubt the components actually cost more than a few hundred dollars. It’s an extremely limited niche market and prices are based on what will get them the most return on their R&D budget, not anything resembling production cost.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      None of these robots can take my job. Until you get one that can do customer service, and then operate in a warehouse running a forklift then I get worried.