Some robotics experts question the value of humanoid designs: "There is a great invention called wheels."
"Humanoid designs only make sense if it is so important to justify the trade-off and sacrifice of other things," says Leo Ma, CEO of RoboForce, in an interview with the Washington Post. His company's Titan robot uses four wheels instead of legs and can lift more weight than humanoid models. Ma adds, "Other than that, there is a great invention called wheels."
Scott LaValley, founder of Cartwheel Robotics, is also skeptical. "The dexterity of these robots isn't fantastic. There are hardware limitations, software limitations. There are definitely safety concerns," he says.
One major challenge: most humanoid robots, like humans, have to constantly expend energy to stay balanced on two legs. If the power cuts out, a bipedal robot generally crumples to the ground, which can pose risks to nearby people and objects. Of course, Ma and others who favor wheeled robots have a clear interest in promoting their own designs.
