Fans of Tesla and Elon Musk have been enthralled by means of the unveiling of Optimums, a prototype humanoid robot, in California the remaining week.
I additionally loved the theatrics - however I'm no longer by myself in questioning why, aside from the wow factor, Optimums had to be human-like.
And whilst the followers hate any perceived criticism, Mr Musk himself has stated Optimums is nowhere close to market-ready. The argument made for humanoids is they are quality geared up to work with human tools, in human environments. People may additionally experience extra cozy interacting with something that appears like a bit like them. And of course, they appear great.
But how realistic are they?
Legs v wheels
"A lot of groups work in the region of humanoids due to the fact it is fascinating for the public to see," Owen Nicholson, chief government of Slam core, which specializes in sensor-driven vision, says.
"But wheel-based robots and even drones are so a wholelot less complicated to control. The quantity of work that goes into simply getting a humanoid to stand upright is huge."
The robotics in the back of Optimums appear sound - Tesla is now not precisely a amateur at all this - but, Mr Nicholson says, through its release, the laptop will have developed into some thing bodily greater practical.
"I'd put cash on them having greater wheel-based robots," he adds.
Reporting robots
In my job, I have considered a lot of robots - all shapes and sizes - designed to clean, care for the elderly, teach, operate surgery, work as receptionists and tour guides, play Scrabble and chess, sing and dance, combine cocktails, pack shopping, supply groceries, function search and rescue and construct cars.
You identify it, someone is likely making an attempt to construct a robotic for it.
Some of them work higher than others - and demonstrations not often go to plan.
But what the sci-fi movies fail to exhibit is all the wires, the pre-programming and the very quick battery life. As I located when making an attempt to movie them, early football-playing robots ought to remaining for solely 10 minutes.
I have had excruciating "conversations" with conversational robots, watched many units fail to whole the duties they had been designed for, and considered the panic in the eyes of the executives in the room when a developer brandishing a bunch of wires says: "We simply want to reboot."
But robots have superior substantially quicker than human beings in the previous decade. The robots of 2022 are some distance extra expert than these I first saw, in 2008, whereas I have obtained little greater than a few gray hairs.
Time and time once more though, the most astounding performers have a tendency now not to seem like people. Precision-surgery robots, warehouse robots, window-cleaning robots - none of them is remotely humanoid.
If the face fits
Expectation may also be section of the problem.
Humanoids would possibly be anticipated to feature like people, performing a range of specific duties - mowing the lawn, making a sandwich, cuddling a baby.
But Prof Helen Hastie, of the National Robotarium, in Edinburgh, says robots are a very lengthy way off being capable to multi-task.
"What's most vital is that the robotic is in shape for the undertaking it is designed for," she says.
Boston Dynamics' doglike quadruped Spot is ideally suitable to difficult terrains, such as bombed-out structures - however a robotic designed to, say, work in a kitchen work might also want no legs at all.
Robots designed to work with susceptible people, for instance in care homes, may be higher proper to searching a bit extra human - however no longer too much.
It is a phenomenon regarded as the uncanny valley - if some thing appears human-like however no longer believably so, it turns into unnerving and even frightening.
As Prof Helen Hastie says: "If it is too human-like, it will put off the human."
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