Humanoid robots are on the rise, with a slate of companies building several different prototypes. Whether they're designed to be on the production line or engineered to roam around your house performing various chores, different kinds of machines are on the cusp of mass production.

Setting expectations

Australian roboticist Brooks remarked on the appearance of robots in the first of his own three laws of robotics, inspired by Isaac Asimov, in a blog post that he self-published.

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The co-founder of robotics company iRobot, which created the Roomba robot vacuum, Brooks explained that the anthropomorphization of humanoid robots – both by engineers and by consumers – could be counterintuitive.

While the form is necessary to gain pubic acceptance, engineers must deliver on performance and capabilities. Adopting a similar form to that of humans may imply a level of humanlike intelligence or competence in navigating the real world. Should robotics companies fail on that count, people will see straight through the ruse.

Robots of mass production

Brooks' laws focus on the competency and capabilities of robots and the need for creators to ensure that they are trained, that they're capable, and that they don't remove human agency.

Plenty of highly polished demos, recorded promotional videos, and on-stage appearances have done well to highlight the fact that these machines are not ready for prime time – despite impressive capabilities in highly controlled environments. That's evidenced by a series of 'robot fails' when they're introduced into real-world settings.

Companies, however, say they're improving the AI technology powering these machines, as well as the dexterity of appendages. They plan on ramping up production toward the end of this year, with the first machines set to be deployed in commercial settings by 2027.

Keumars Afifi-Sabet is a freelance contributor for Tech Radar and the Technology Editor for Live Science. He has written for a variety of publications including ITPro, The Week Digital and ComputerActive. He has worked as a technology journalist for more than five years, having previously held the role of features editor with ITPro. In his previous role, he oversaw the commissioning and publishing of long form in areas including AI, cyber security, cloud computing and digital transformation.