JA WestenbergMay 20

There’s functionally no engineering reason to put a robot on two legs. Every other form factor is cheaper, more stable, more efficient, and easier to maintain.

There is, however, a very good marketing reason: everyone’s watched Terminator, fear goes viral, and anxiety drives attention.

A warehouse robot is infrastructure.

A humanoid robot is an engagement strategy…

Show threadbitMay 20
@Daojoan There is one reason. Robots will often have to work in a space designed by humans for humans, so they will need to mimic humans. Big companies have the money to create infrastructure that fits robots better. China has entire factories run by robots, where they work 24/7 with lights off. Amazon has warehouses that are completely flat, and riddled with guidelines and tracks on the floor. Not every company will have such infrastructure, so they'll need robots that can climb stairs instead.
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖

@bit @Daojoan

There is another reason that should be obvious but isn’t, because for some reason we are never taught this when we are kids.

Of all large creatures, the human has the tightest turn radius.

(All they did was teach us how we were physically inferior blah blah blah. Meanwhile we had easily the tightest turn radius of all creatures. Even a chimp cannot turn as tightly. It is something very worth replicating in machinery.

A dog has to walk in a circle.)

May 20 at 10:15amWeb
Show threadSu_GMay 20
@chemoelectric
Interesting. Never knew that. Thanks! 🙂
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖May 20
@Su_G I learnt it from one or more of Moshe Feldenkrais’s books. It is obvious once pointed out, though.
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖May 20
@Su_G Of course, he may have learnt it from whoever taught him Judo.
Show threadSu_GMay 20
@chemoelectric
I plan to test it out soon… 🤗
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖May 20
@Su_G It is fascinating to watch how four-legged animals turn, once you know they are walking in a circle!
Show threadDr. Bruce SimpsonMay 20
@chemoelectric @bit @Daojoan Hence the expression "tilting at windmills".
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖May 20

@bms48 @bit @Daojoan

That I do not understand. ‘Tilting’ is lowering your lance. A chimp could lower a lance. :)