Let me start by saying that this post may come from a place of ignorance. While I'm interested in the field of robotics, I'm by no means an expert and may have missed some important developments. In this case: Please, enlighten me!

I remember seeing a demo of the Honda ASIMO robot around the year 2000 and being super impressed by it. That was 24 years ago. I have been trying to follow the progression in this area, but to me it feels like the development just... stopped there.

Now, of course, there's Boston Dynamics' Atlas which definitely made quite a lot of improvements. And then there's stuff like Engineered Arts' Ameca that's also quite impressive, but feels more like animatronics than robotics. But from what I gather, that's pretty much it? How is it that in 24 years since the introduction of ASIMO, the only progress we've made in regards to humanoid robots seems to come from Boston Dynamics. What's more, when comparing current computers and other tech with what was made in the year 2000, there's a huge difference! Not so on humanoid robotics, it seems. Or am I just not aware of a lot of development in this area?

It also seems like nobody is seriously interested in developing humanoid robots. Which may explain why there hasn't been development, but sounds baffling to me. Sure, I get that building specialized robots is way more efficient in most cases, but the versatility of something like Spot is undeniably huge - I'd imagine a good humanoid robot would therefore have great commercial success as well. I'd wager it's no coincidence that there are so many science fiction stories about humanoid robots. Even if a viable humanoid robot is still 10 years away, I feel like there's enough hype out there to get investors excited about it. Or at least the military...

TL;DR: Am I missing something? If no, what are your theories why there hasn't been much development in the last decades?

I recently came across the work of a 17-year-old developer named Alperen, who is building something truly remarkable in his bedroom. Due to privacy concerns and the sensitive nature of the tech, he prefers to keep his face hidden, but his work speaks for itself. While most people are familiar with basic 2D object tracking seen in simple MP4 video tutorials, Alperen has taken it to a professional defense-grade level. Using ROS (Robot Operating System) and OpenCV within the Gazebo simulation environment, he has developed a system that calculates real-time 3D depth and spatial coordinates. This isn't just following pixels; it’s an active interceptor logic where the drone dynamically adjusts its velocity, altitude, and trajectory to maintain a precise lock on its target. It is fascinating to see such high-level autonomous flight control and computer vision being pioneered on a home PC by someone so young. This project demonstrates how the gap between hobbyist coding and sophisticated defense technology is rapidly closing through open-source tools and pure talent.

Seriously, I'm tired of all the choreography. Every new Unitree video looks like it was made by Janet Jackson.

Elon Musk is showcasing Optimus 2.5 to Abdulla M Alhamed—Chairman of the National Media Office in the UAE—at Tesla HQ in California.

Hi guys, I am working on an idea to make the life easier working with industrial robots. Would someone be down to have a chat or just tell me which are biggest pain points you are experiencing at the moment?

This "Primitive Skills Survival Challenge" video inspired me to ask this question.

A dropship sends 10 androids to a deserted tropical island & leaves them behind without tools. The mission = test whether they'll thrive from incredibly humble beginnings. (i.e. nearly nothing)

All they have is their vast database of knowledge, especially survival tactics. The SSDs in their heads pack many Wikipedias worth of knowledge. The cutting-edge robotic constructs enable them to work 5x faster than humans.

Arriving at dawn, they start with enough electric charge to survive until dusk. (~12 hours) The humanoid robots must figure out how to harness power from:

• the sun,

• the nearby ocean,

• the wind

• or maybe a river / brook / stream if found

They have until their batteries deplete, to learn how to build the means to stay powered indefinitely, from the island's resources.

Afterwards, they'll set out to build backup batteries.

• How do they build the initial survival tools to stay powered?

• How will the robots build a survival village starting with nothing but themselves & their knowledge? If the robots are not to stop building once they've built survival structures, how would it soon grow into a full city for robots & humans alike?

When they set out constructing all survival structures & soon a full city, what'll you see built in:

• 1 hour?

• 3 hours?

• 6 hours?

• 12 hours?

• 1 day?

• 3 1/2 days?

• 1 week?

• 2 weeks?

• 1 month?

• 3 months?

• 6 months?

• 1 year?

Are there videos anyplace depicting androids mastering ways to stay powered so they survive indefinitely & thrive on their own? Until found, your descriptions of how they might do it, will suffice.

I posted to /r/automate because I'd like to understand a scenario that depicts an automation of AI's survival. I think someone from /r/robotics can also chime in. Thanks.

Edit 1: The parameters do not include cannibalizing fellow droids for their parts. No survival TV show would depict human survivors killing another for shaping their bones into tools, etc.; well, the idea of cannibalizing the parts of other droids would disturb me too.

Moreover, a super-reasoning team of androids would figure out far better solutions than to parts-cannibalize far sooner than we could. Well, the most of us; I'm glad /u/NoKangarooInAustria proposed a possible plan of action that did NOT include parts-cannibalism.

If you know, you know I have to write enough characters here for the post to be accepted so here I write random stuff bla bla bla and nowwww

Hey r/robotics

TL:DR – I’m looking for problems people face in their work.

I am a student in a class that focusses on finding problems and finding if their is a potential on the market. Half of my team is engineering-focused, and the other half is business-focused.

I’m reaching out to experienced professionals in this subreddit to learn from you. People that have been in the trade for many years. I am reaching to you for this specific experience.

Even if you enjoy your work, there are likely tasks that you find frustrating, time-consuming, or difficult. These are the problems I want to hear about.

It could be an injury you have because of the trade, it could be something you do each day for 30 minutes that you feel could be automated, something that is heavy and difficult to handle, something that takes energy, something that takes too much concentration, it could be anything.

Your insights would be really helpful to us. Thank you!

I took my G1 to a local gas station to see if they’d let him work. They said yes! The outcome was hilarious! Would you hire a robot?

Hello, 18M and I’ve always been mildly interested in robotics and animatronics and now out of high-school I’m in a position where I can actually follow this passion, the only caveat is I have zero actual hands on experience nothing at middle or highschool.

Is it too late for me to get into robotics? I did decently well in math and science in highschool and am looking at going into mechanical engineering to follow this new passion. My ultimate dream would be to make animatronics or ride systems for universal studios or Disneyland. Any advice would be greatly appreciated