Fading the humanoid robot revolution: iRobot's co-founder issues a warning for investors
Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot and Rethink Robotics, expresses skepticism about humanoid robots achieving their industry promises, emphasizing the superior dexterity of human hands due to their complex sensory capabilities.
He highlights significant challenges in humanoid locomotion, noting that current robots do not effectively mimic human walking patterns and possess safety concerns related to balance and potential falls.
Brooks envisions a future where successful robots will diverge from traditional humanoid shapes, utilizing wheels and specialized sensors for specific tasks, rather than achieving mass-produced humanoid forms, which he believes will eventually fade away.
Humanoid Robotics Skepticism: Insights from iRobot Co-founder Rodney Brooks
Rodney Brooks, a notable figure in the robotics field and co-founder of iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT), expresses his skepticism regarding the capabilities of humanoid robots to fulfill the industry's ambitious promises. As the co-founder of Rethink Robotics, known for creating the Baxter robot, and an emeritus professor at MIT, Brooks has extensive expertise in robotics, having once served as the director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
In a comprehensive essay titled "Why Today’s Humanoids Won’t Learn Dexterity," Brooks emphasizes the unmatched sophistication of human hands. With approximately 17,000 specialized touch receptors, human tactile sensitivity to minute spatial details is far beyond the reach of current robotic technology.
Brooks also points out significant challenges related to locomotion in humanoid robots. He observes, "Present-day humanoid robots do not mimic human walking patterns." Human gait is characterized by elastic, spring-like mechanics that enable individuals to move with minimal neural intervention. In fact, there are mechanical models of bipedal walkers that can navigate gentle slopes solely utilizing passive dynamics and gravity, without any additional power source.
One of Brooks' primary concerns is the inherent risk posed by full-sized humanoid robots that expend considerable energy to maintain balance. Their potential for falling raises safety issues, making the consequence of a fall particularly dangerous.
Looking toward the future, Brooks envisions that successful humanoid robots will likely feature wheels, multiple arms, and specialized sensors—departing from the traditional bipedal humanoid shape and design. This reality suggests that substantial investments could be directed towards developing humanoid robot forms that may never achieve mass production.
"There will be numerous robots, each designed with specific forms for various specialized tasks that humans currently perform. However, they will still be categorized as humanoid robots. A significant portion of funding will vanish, spent in the pursuit of enhancing the performance of today's humanoid robots, which will eventually fade into obscurity," Brooks cautions.
Key players in the humanoid robotics landscape include Unitree Robotics, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Figure AI (backed by BMW), Boston Dynamics (predominantly owned by Hyundai), Agility Robotics, Apptronik (supported by Google), Engineered Arts, Sanctuary AI, Fourier Intelligence, PAL Robotics, Hanson Robotics, Toyota Research Institute (TRI), Shadow Robot Company, Beijing HRIC, EngineAI, Kepler, and Agibot.
There are also several notable exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on humanoid robotics, including the Roundhill Humanoid Robotics ETF (BATS: HUMN), the KraneShares Global Humanoid & Embodied Intelligence Index ETF (NASDAQ: KOID), the Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF (NASDAQ: BOTT), the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (NASDAQ: BOTZ), and the ROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF (ROBO).
Brooks’ insights serve as a reminder of the challenges and complexities within the field of humanoid robotics and the need for a realistic approach to expectations in this rapidly evolving sector.