Humanoid robots are undergoing rapid development, led by firms in the United States and China.1 Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have improved the degree of autonomy in humanoid robots, allowing them to handle more complex interactions with humans and their environment.* 2 These improvements are accelerating as robots use generative AI to learn new tasks, replacing what was previously accomplished through manual programming.3 China has set a series of goals relating to the development of its humanoid robots sector, including having two to three humanoid robot firms that are global leaders by 2025.4 Many other aspects of its stated goals, however, are vague and susceptible to multiple interpretations. While China’s capacity to achieve these goals in the stated time frames may be doubtful, if their overall efforts are successful, humanoid robots could have transformative implications across commercial industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare, and potentially for military and law enforcement as well.5 The Chinese government has thrown its weight behind developing humanoid robots, as it has previously for other critical emerging technologies, with the aim of expanding its role in the global market.6
Humanoid robots are improving at navigating complex terrain and interacting with everyday objects. 7 Some humanoid robots have also been equipped with speech and reasoning capabilities to enhance communication options and help complete basic daily tasks.8 Humanoid robot firms globally face technical obstacles, however, including the limited storage capacity of batteries that power the robots and the current technical limitations of components like actuators that allow the robot to move itself and manipulate other objects.9 Far more progress is needed before humanoid robots will be able to reason through an unexpected situation and then act on it.
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