The article further discusses the current state of humanoid robotics, which is primarily in the pilot stage, with companies like BMW and Mercedes partnering with robotics startups for early-stage partnerships. It also mentions the potential of an app store model for industrial robots, similar to smartphones, where third-party developers can contribute to the robot's functionality. The article concludes by suggesting that whether or not humanoid robots populate future factories, the advancements made in this field will have significant impacts on automation in our daily lives.
Key takeaways:
- Robots made their stage debut in 1921 and the term "robot" was introduced by Karel Čapek’s play, R.U.R (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti).
- The concept of a "general-purpose humanoid" is defined as a robot that can quickly pick up skills and essentially do any task a human can do.
- Humanoid robots are seen as a potential transition point towards fully automated warehouses and factories, but the difficulty of implementing them makes this a challenging prospect.
- Many companies are currently in the pilot stage of implementing humanoid robots, with BMW working with Figure and Mercedes working with Apptronik. However, the next steps and potential large-scale implementation are still uncertain.