Where’s My Robot? Here’s how we could finally build humanoid robots that do all our domestic chores
By Erico Guizzo & Randi Klett
Published 11/11/2024 - Updated 11/18/2024
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This story is part of IEEE Spectrum ’s “Reinventing Invention ” special issue.
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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 Explore by... Robots Robots (in alphabetical order)
Aila showing its components
Albert Hubo greeting people
AMBIDEX interacting with people and objects
Apollo making juice
Apollo carrying boxes
Armar holding a power drill
Asimo daydreaming
Asimo running, hopping, and kicking a ball
Asimo taking a bow
Asimo balancing on one foot
Asimo waving goodbye
Asimo evolving from E and P series
Astro facing forward
Astro spinning around
Astro looking at a dog
Atlas carrying plastic engine covers
Atlas demonstrating its flexibility
Atlas doing push-ups
Atlas HD dancing
Atlas HD jumping over an obstacle
Atlas HD doing backflips
Atlas HD stumbling and falling
Atlas HD jumping and carrying objects
Atlas HD bumping into objects and falling
DARPA competition robots falling
Digit working in a warehouse
Digit carrying bins
Digit waving hi
Digit navigating and finding bins
Digit removing a tray from the oven
E Series learning to walk
Eve opening doors
Eve standing and smiling
Everyday Robot grasping toys
Falcon 9 landing
Figure 01 using a coffeemaker
Figure 02 handling factory parts
Figure 02 moving its hands
Geminoid HI-1 sitting next to Hiroshi Ishiguro
G1 manipulating a stick
G1 cracking a walnut
G1 holding a frying pan
G1 running
G1 showing off its flexibility
GR-1 standing up
Hand Arm System showing its cable system
HRP-2 falling backwards
H1 getting kicked
iCub crawling
Nadia boxing
Neo picking up a backpack
Neo grabbing a shirt from a rack
Neo unloading a dishwasher
Optimus dancing
Optimus stretching
Optimus training with teleoperation
Phoenix grasping cups
Phoenix showing its head sensors
Phoenix making a sandwich
π0 assembling boxes
π0 folding clothes
π0 doing laundry
Roomba (first model) vacuuming a carpet
Roomba vacuuming popcorn
Roomba vacuuming granola
Roomba going over thick carpet
Roomba and cat
Rosie preparing a snack
Rosie boiling sausages
Stretch stretching its arm
Stretch serving a drink
Stretch cleaning the kitchen
Stretch dog sitting
Groups of Robots (in order of appearance)
Robot collage: today’s top humanoids
Robot cards: Apollo, Atlas, Digit, Figure, GR-1, H1, Neo, Tesla Robot Optimus, and Phoenix
Creepy collage: lifelike humanoids
Uncanny Valley chart: Kuka, Asimo, and Albert Hubo
AI simulation: Apollo, H1, and Digit learning to walk
Sci-Fi Robots (in order of appearance)
T-800 from “The Terminator”
Andrew from “Bicentennial Man”
Robot from “Sunny”
Humanoid from “Robot & Frank”
Rosie from “The Jetsons”
C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars”
Part 1 – 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. “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.
Household humanoids could do tasks like preparing and serving meals. Robots to help us with chores around the house.
Cleaning. Cooking. Organizing.
Household humanoids could also do cleaning tasks like dusting surfaces. Even keeping us company.
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.
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.
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." “THE JETSONS” (1962-1963) Instead we got Roomba.
Roomba is known for its disc-shaped design. ROOMBA (IROBOT ) So the question is…
Where’s My Robot?
Part 2 – 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
Part 3 – Time for Some Robot History Roomba first hit stores more than 20 years ago.
Now it roams in millions of homes around the world.
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.
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.
Roomba can conquer almost any carpet. ROOMBA (IROBOT ) Not to mention…pets.
Cats and robots can be best friends. Everywhere Roomba goes there’s a trap lurking.
And it’s just sucking dirt.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 ) 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.
Bravo, Asimo! ASIMO (HONDA ) Any changes in the environment risked throwing off its routine.
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.
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 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 next to his android copy Geminoid HI-1. GEMINOID HI-1 (OSAKA UNIVERSITY ) That’s creepy!
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 features a robotic body topped with an Einstein head. ALBERT HUBO (KAIST /HANSON ROBOTICS ) Buckle up for a detour into the Uncanny Valley.
Part 4 – 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.
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.
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.
Part 5 – Robot Hardware Let’s get back to the challenges of building humanoids.
It comes down to two things: hardware and software.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Aila's battery packs are in the back. AILA (DFKI ROBOTICS INNOVATION CENTER ) Actuators—electrical motors—make the robot move.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
This hand uses thin cables to actuate its finger joints. HAND ARM SYSTEM (DLR ) Part 6 – AI for Robots 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.
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 ) Part 7 – The Future of Robots 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.
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.
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.
Astro can create a 3D map of your home and navigate autonomously. ASTRO (AMAZON ) It roams around your house taking photos of your pet.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
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) 
