"In his post, Brooks recounts being "way too close" to an Agility Robotics Digit humanoid when it fell several years ago. He has not dared approach one while walking since. Even in promotional videos from humanoid companies, Brooks notes, humans are never shown close to moving humanoid robots unless separated by furniture, and even then, the robots only shuffle minimally."
"This safety problem extends beyond accidental falls. For humanoids to fulfill their promised role in health care and factory settings, they need certification to operate in zones shared with humans. Current walking mechanisms make such certification virtually impossible under existing safety standards in most parts of the world. Brooks predicts that within 15 years, there will indeed be many robots called "humanoids" performing various tasks."
A close encounter with a falling Agility Robotics Digit humanoid created lasting human reluctance to be near bipedal machines. Promotional footage keeps people separated from moving humanoids with furniture, and the robots are shown shuffling minimally. Safety concerns extend beyond falls because current bipedal walking mechanisms cannot meet certification requirements for shared human work zones in many jurisdictions. Practical future humanoids are likely to use wheels, varying numbers of arms, and specialized nonhuman sensors such as cameras in hands or midsections. Investments aimed at forcing rigid, vision-only bipeds to achieve dexterity will likely decline. Touch-enabled teleoperation shows progress but remains far from human-level sensing and manipulation.
Read at Ars Technica
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