Advice From iRobot: Forget the Humanoid Look

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Insisting that a robot must be structured just like homo sapiens is about as reasonable as insisting that all aircraft have flapping wings.
Yes, humans react emotionally to anything with arms and legs. They also respond to wind-up toy animals. As a matter of fact, they tend to attribute personalities to anything that moves, such as cars.
There will eventually come a day when we will have the sophisticated software needed to be able to make good use of multiple DOF arms in household environments. However, that will be many years into the future.

Nelson Bridwell of OR 1:07PM February 25, 2008

If a robot has humanoid characteristics and can step into an assembly line job previously occupied by a human, couldn't it reproduce itself?
Once it can reproduce it can evolve. Once it can evolve its like a life form.
Makes the Terminator films seem a little less far fetched.

J. T. of MN 11:13AM February 25, 2008

They already have capabilities for many simple tasks that make up factory work. Asimo can walk, run, serve at table. The Toyota ones can even play the fiddle. Combine their capabilities and what do the lack? OK, it would be good had they been a bit more able to creep and jump, but when the big money enters the industry it will come. Still they would almost already come in handy compared to a normal industry robot - they move on their own, they can take the results of the work an carry it to the next workplace. They can soon work at an unchanged human manual workplace. Working three shifts they even the prototypes can be payed off in reasonable time. The Japanese says their aiming for service jobs, I´d expect them to show up in factories first, the job cycles are shorter there. The Japanese robots still lack a generic program enabling them to learn our tasks as they go, but they will get it soon. Pricing wont be a problem when they have are produced in millions annually. I expect them to come out of the labs soon!

Per K 4:08PM February 22, 2008

Please, forgive my bad English, as it is not my mother tongue:
With some level of independence of the robot's "intelligence", the mere humanoid appearance awakens in us a response of empathy. Just watch several Asimos, for example, behave in a scene, and it is difficult for people to think that they don't have "something" of humans. Other non-anthropomorphic equivalent machine, without arms / hands, or with wheels, for example, no matter how "intelligent" will be seen by people as only an advanced MACHINE. For humans, the relationship with an advanced humanoid robot will be more comfortable and familiar than with robots with other physical forms.
The improvement and development of humanoid robots provides valuable information on the biomechanics of the human body, and gives assistance to the development of better prosthetics for the disabled.
The advanced humanoid robots could serve as a slave, peer, messengers, partner (even a sex-partner), etc.. For people, especially for elderly or people with disabilities, or who live alone.
The "intelligence" of an advanced humanoid robot, being in a humanoid body, will be more understanding of the nature, potential and physical limitations of we humans.
Nothing would prevent the exploration of variations of athropomorphic body, for example: humanoids with three eyes, or with three arms, or with infrared or ultraviolet vision, or zoom vision, and so on ... These variants can be very helpful to humans.
Thanks to their physical form, these robots are ready - or are easily adaptable to- use tools, environments and systems used by humans; examples: Using a ladder, drive a vehicle, using a firearm (robot soldiers), use a keyboard, playing a musical instrument, etc.. Etc.. This characteristic makes them especially useful.

Luis Guillermo Restrepo Rivas 2:00PM February 22, 2008

We also weren't made to do taxes. Does that mean Roomba is going to come out with a robot that does my taxes? If so, will the appendages be helpful?
My point is that the world of Robots has advanced so quickly that there really are no 'rules' on what robots are supposed to look like. Sure, we have films like "I, Robot," and books and blah blah blah. Robots are what we make of them.
Humans weren't 'made' for anything aside from breeding, as far as I'm concerned. Our advantage is that _we_ get to design the robots. Some might need appendages, some might not. I highly doubt that there will be an international law written up in the future World Organization that robots must/must not have appendages.
Each will be designed for its own purpose. This article seems kind of pointless to me.

Kevin of MO 6:18PM February 21, 2008

I'm with Colin Angle on this one. I've got both Roomba and Scooba and they do a far better job than a human with a vacuum or a mop, let alone a pseudo-human with ditto. They're made for the jobs they do; humans may be marvellous in many ways (hmm...), but they weren't made to manhandle vacuum cleaners and wield mops. Form is function, and all that.

Maryon Jeane 3:37PM February 21, 2008