Monday, October 6, 2025

Renowned Robotics Pioneer Warns Of Safety Risks With Walking Robots

Featured in Ars Technica:

Rodney Brooks, the renowned robotics pioneer and co-founder of iRobot, has issued a stark warning about the safety risks associated with today's walking robots. In a recent technical essay, Brooks advises people to maintain a safe distance of at least 3 meters from full-size walking robots, citing the potential for severe injury from the massive kinetic energy generated by these machines.

Brooks, a professor emeritus at MIT, has spent decades building humanoid machines and is now sounding the alarm about the dangers of these robots. He believes that companies investing heavily in humanoid development are pursuing an expensive fantasy, and that these machines are fundamentally unsafe for humans to be near.

One of the primary concerns is the kinetic energy generated by these robots as they walk and maintain balance. If they fall or their limbs strike someone, the consequences could be severe. Brooks argues that this is a critical issue that needs to be addressed before humanoid robots can be deployed in areas where humans are present.

Brooks disputes the notion that humanoid robots will soon replace human workers by learning dexterity through watching videos of people performing tasks. While this technique has shown promise in some areas of robotics AI training, Brooks believes that it is not a viable solution for humanoid robots.

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When a robotics pioneer who has spent decades building humanoid machines recommends that you stand at least nine feet away from any full-size ...
Alternative viewpoints and findings: See here

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