When robots meet commercial reality - Financial Times

Robot enthusiasts believe a new breed of humanoid robots will make further inroads into physical work. One of the great advantages of building robots that look like humans is that — in theory — you can slot them seamlessly into workplaces that are already built for humans. That could make the deployment of robots more gradual and flexible, and less of an enormous upfront bet. But even if humanoids do achieve human-level capabilities this year, as Huang predicts, there will still be practical problems for businesses to consider. First, to deploy AI-powered humanoid robots alongside humans in the workplace, you need to be confident they are safe. In a white-collar setting, a hallucinating chatbot might make up a number or reference and damage your reputation or your bottom line. In a blue-collar setting, a malfunctioning humanoid could be physically dangerous. Second, humanoid and canine robots just don’t have much stamina for now, because of limitations with battery technology. As James Pikul, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has written, the Boston Dynamics robot Spot can only operate for about 90 minutes before it needs to recharge. By way of comparison, it is common for human staff in factories and warehouses to work 10-hour shifts with a couple of breaks.