Humanoid robots

A shape, not a guarantee

A humanoid robot takes the silhouette of the human body: a torso, two arms, a head and, most often, two legs. Some models replace the legs with a wheeled base. The shape has a practical reason: workstations, tools and staircases are designed for people.

It says nothing, however, about what the robot can do. Two humanoids that look alike can differ entirely in autonomy, payload or maturity.

Humanoid robotDegrees of freedom

What “AI-driven” covers

The expression usually refers to a robot whose behaviour partly comes from a learned model: perception through cameras, understanding an instruction in everyday language, movements learned by imitation or in simulation.

A filmed demonstration does not prove autonomy: an operator may be driving the robot remotely. When a source says so, the sheet states whether the robot can be teleoperated.

Teleoperation

The figures to read closely

Weight and height place the robot. Payload depends on posture, distance and sometimes on the number of arms used. Runtime varies with the effort asked. Top speed is often recorded without a load, on flat ground.

A value only means something with its measurement conditions. When they are missing, read it as an order of magnitude rather than a promise.

PayloadBattery runtime

Announced, prototype or on sale

Years can pass between a humanoid’s announcement and its delivery. The commercial status given by the sources separates what is announced, what is only a prototype, what can be pre-ordered and what can be bought.

A price quoted at a presentation is not a delivery, and a pre-order is not a sale under way. That is why the status is shown next to the price.

How to read Vuntum’s sheets

Every value links to its source and carries an evidence level: manufacturer announcement, independent measurement or a test run by Vuntum. An empty cell is never filled with an estimate: it means no retained source gives the value.

A thin sheet stays readable, but it does not appear in the comparison table until it has enough characteristics.