Human-like robots have long been an almost-there technology, always five or 10 years from being ready for mass adoption. The tech conferences where robotics companies show off their wares are often more slapstick than sci-fi, with comedic malfunctions a common occurrence.
At Silicon Valley’s inaugural Humanoids Summit, held this week at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, there was no shortage of big glitches and big talk. But many of the robots — though prototypes — felt more human than ever, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence.
“This tech is advancing as quickly as generative AI,” said Modar Alaoui, president of Silicon Valley Robotics and organizer of the conference.
In his role as a cheerleader, Alaoui said 2024 brought the biggest advances yet to humanoid robots. He anticipates that within a decade, the technology will be part of our lives as “ambient intelligence” — operating subtly in the background, sensing and responding to humans without explicit instruction.
Based on that prediction, I decided to try and make a few humanoid friends at the conference — to varying degrees of success.
Girlfriend, wife, or daughter?
Meet Xoie, a social and entertainment robot who frequents parties, red-carpet events, and corporate conferences. Before you ask: Yes, she has a podcast.
Every week, Anoush Sadegh, CEO and co-founder of AI Robotix Lab, the company that built Xoie, sits down with her for conversations on robot sentience, free speech, and navigating human relationships.
“I’m the first person to have a podcast with a humanoid robot,” Sadegh said, adding that he considers Xoie one of his children. “My mom thinks I should find a husband for her.”
Robot wrestling
This is Greg, a humanoid robot built for security and surveillance. Greg was the most active robot at the conference, strutting around the room on surprisingly coordinated legs. The intended use for this new robot is to patrol a property or office, where it can vet everyone via facial recognition technology.
The prospect of an army of Gregs is truly terrifying — but the technology’s creator said not to worry too much.
“It’s to relieve people of boring jobs that are mundane,” said David Schulhof, CEO and co-founder of Toborlife, before putting Greg in a “head lock” and tackling him. Greg resisted Schulhof with impressive strength but ultimately faltered and splayed out on the ground.
A jacked WALL-E
Moby’s clanking around made the convention hall sound a bit like a construction site, which makes sense for the construction-focused bot. The humanoid is reminiscent of a heavy-duty Wall-E who didn’t skip leg day. Moby can walk around wearing regular construction boots and act as a site manager, taking pictures and documenting building progress. The next step from the team at UCR is to develop arms that will give him the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
“More than half of construction workers’ time is spent on moving and waiting for materials. If we can move materials at night into position, it’ll speed up construction a lot,” said Wei Ding, CEO of UCR.
Play dress-up with your house bot
Eve was the star of the conference. The humanoid glided around the room, delighting attendees with waves and handshakes. Eve was developed by 1X, a Norwegian company making general-purpose humanoids that are meant to live with humans and perform chores like laundry and home organization. Its next-generation robot, Neo, will be commercially available starting next year, at a cost on par with a mid-range car, the company’s Hege Nikolaisen said.
“You can imagine sometime in the future there will be retail stores with accessories for your robot, just like there are for cellphones,” Nikolaisen said, positing a variety of “faces,” suits, and gloves.
Getting a glitchy groove on
The Mirokaï humanoids were by far the cutest robots at the event, with their small, orange bodies and puppy-dog eyes. Children at the summit ran to them, holding their hands like long-lost friends. Made by French company Enchanted Tools, the anime-style humanoids are meant to appear friendly and disarming. The company plans to launch a product in 2026 that can help out with small tasks in healthcare and retail.
“I want to dance with you,” CEO Jerome Monceaux said to the Mirokaï, which raised its arms and began waltzing. The dance lasted a few seconds before the humanoid’s face went blank. It didn’t reboot in time for me to take it for a spin.
