“In a home, you need to make sure that the humanoid is safe with grandma, with the kids, with the pets… that it doesn’t accidentally knock over a candle and cause a fire,” he said.
The Tech Race: AI Meets Robotics
Humanoids are benefiting from advancements in AI, especially large language models and agent-based AI systems. Big Tech is taking notice:
- Google DeepMind is supplying models to Apptronik
- Tesla is building both its Optimus robot and the AI behind it
- Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang said, “The ChatGPT moment for general robotics is just around the corner”
The Investment Boom
Investor interest in humanoids is exploding:
- $1.2 billion raised in 2024 by humanoid robot makers
- $3 billion projected funding for the year
- Agility Robotics raised $400 million at a $1.75 billion valuation
- Apptronik raised $350 million in a Series A round
Challenges and Roadblocks
Despite all the promise, there are challenges to widespread deployment:
- High costs per unit
- Tech complexity
- Need for adaptability in different environments
“You need to have humanoids that are highly adaptable to every different warehouse,” said Lawrence.
Is the Human Form the Right Form?
Paul Miller of Forrester argues that replicating a human shape may not always be ideal. “A human worker in their job does a lot of different tasks… some tasks are best performed by a human being, others by software or automation.”
