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Artificial intelligence

Humanoid Robots Lag Behind in Physical Abilities, Despite AI Advances

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Despite the rapid progress of artificial intelligence in various fields, humanoid robots, designed to mimic human appearance and abilities, are still struggling to match their digital counterparts. According to experts, these physical robots are lagging years behind in execution and dexterity, mainly due to the scarcity of training material and the need for real-world actions that are slower, more expensive, and harder to record.

Key Takeaways:

  • Minas Liarokapis, a Greek academic and startup founder, believes that humanoids will first be used in space exploration and then in households, but it will take more than 10 years to achieve this goal.
  • Ken Goldberg, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that developers should move beyond simulations and combine "old-fashioned engineering" with real-world training to enable robots to collect data as they perform useful work.
  • Luis Sentis, professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, emphasizes the need for collaboration between researchers, data companies, and major manufacturers to provide scale for successful robotics.
  • Aadeel Akhtar, CEO and founder of Psyonic, highlights the potential of data from prosthetic hands to accelerate robot development.
  • Hon Weng Chong, CEO of Cortical Labs, is developing a biological computer that uses real brain cells grown on a chip, which could potentially teach robots to think and adapt more like humans.
  • The International Humanoid Olympiad aimed to provide an "honest validation of the progress that has been made in humanoid robots" and to lay a foundation for annual competitions.

Statistics:

  • Humanlike robots are roughly 100,000 years behind AI in learning from data (Science Robotics)
  • The International Humanoid Olympiad gathered experts and developers at Ancient Olympia in southern Greece (AP)
  • The four-day event included events like soccer, shadow-boxing, and aiming arrows (AP)
  • The cost of developing a humanoid robot is said to be higher due to the need for real-world actions (Ken Goldberg, AP)
  • Boston Dynamics has been developing its dog-like Spot robots for 10 years, with them dancing in synchrony to a Queen song on "America's Got Talent" (AP)
  • The funding for humanoid robot development is attracting billions of dollars (Luis Sentis, AP)

Sources:

  • AP: "Robots get their kicks at ancient stadium", August 28, 2024.
  • Science Robotics: "Human-like robots: a review of the current state of the field", Volume 3, Number 4, 2023.
  • The Associated Press: Copyright 2025, All rights reserved.
  • The University of California, Berkeley: Ken Goldberg's profile, accessed on [date].
  • The University of Texas at Austin: Luis Sentis' profile, accessed on [date].
  • Psyonic: Aadeel Akhtar's profile, accessed on [date].
  • Cortical Labs: Hon Weng Chong's profile, accessed on [date].
  • Acumino: Patrick Jarvis' profile, accessed on [date].
  • MassRobotics: Thomas Ryden's profile, accessed on [date].

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