Pop culture has warned us about robots for years. Whether it's iRobot or the Terminator, nightmares of rogue machines taking over the planet are likely stamped into your brains. But the really unsettling part? Those dystopian visions are beginning to take shape in the real world.
Today's futuristic bots aren’t armed with a shotgun and Austrian accent, or even the dexterity of most sci-fi automatons. Instead, they're learning to be human… slowly.
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They can speak, express ‘human emotion', perform everyday tasks, and many of them can walk, albeit like a baby taking its first steps. We’re seeing the first steps towards a world where humanoid robots stand next to us, triggering an uncanny valley like never before.
But with so many robots being made, which weird and wonderful bots are leading the pack? Here are the 10 strangest to look out for.
Ameca: The 'world's most advanced' humanoid robot
Ameca has a reputation. The robot created by Engineered Arts has been dubbed 'the world’s most advanced’ humanoid robot. That’s a big claim in a world of creepy human-like robots, so what’s so impressive about it?
Ameca can’t sprint, backflip or crush bricks with its hands like some robots can. It does something weirder. Ameca has emotions… in a way. The robot has been built to show feelings on its face and through its body.
It can smile, laugh, and even express through full-body emotions. In other words, Ameca is the robot that feels the most human in its movements. It won't kill you or replace you in the office, but it just might be the most charming dinner guest at the table.
Boston Dynamics ATLAS: The athletic one
When it comes to robotics, Boston Dynamics is a household name. And if you don't recognise the moniker, you'll have likely seen videos of its robots performing parkour, climbing ladders or working on mock construction sites.
The company likes to dial up the fun in its videos, showcasing the silliness of its robots. However, most of these bots are designed for very un-silly full-time work – think jobs in oil and gas, energy or surveillance.
After many years of progress, they have reached their current ATLAS model. A lanky humanoid robot, ATLAS is entirely powered by electricity (see it standing up in the least human way imaginable in the video above).
With a creepy circular face and a large light beam, it resembles a walking Sauron, capable of crushing objects in its way and climbing over obstacles… not unsettling at all.
Unitree G1: Jack of all trades, master of none
Unitree, a Chinese robotics company has made a lot of products. However, despite having an army of robot dogs, arms and sensors in their arsenal, it’s the Unitree G1 that truly embodies their chaotic innovations.
The ‘humanoid agent AI avatar’ will set you back $16,000 (roughly £12,500) which, by the standards of humanoid robots, is actually surprisingly affordable.
However, it’s not entirely clear what the robot is for. Unitree highlights videos of the robot spinning a stick around like a lightsaber, smashing chestnuts with its fist, breaking the top of a cola bottle, and hitting its hand with a hammer… for some reason.
In fact, watching videos of the G1 running around, jumping and folding up into the fetal position is somewhat reminiscent of watching a painfully energetic child bellow “Look what I can do!” over and over again.
Menteebot: A teachable robot
The Menteebot is oddly wholesome, at least in the tasks it is advertised for. The creators envision the lanky robot being an assistant to the average person, helping to complete jobs which could otherwise be difficult.
This includes lifting and moving heavy boxes, cleaning, and even pushing a trolley around a supermarket for you.
It’s not exactly nimble, or fast, or even very aesthetic, rocking some arms and legs in complete disproportion to its body. But the Menteebot is clearly happy to give it a go, learning new skills to help make your life easier. Bless it.
Figure AI: The multitasker
There are a number of humanoid robots that have been built with a singular purpose. They are designed to dominate the factory floor, completely eliminating the need for any real workers.
Figure AI is one of the leading options for this market, mostly thanks to its partnership with company OpenAI. Using technology from the AI behemoth, Figure can accept voice commands and have conversations with people.
This, combined with its training on a variety of factory tasks, allows Figure to work its way through a full day of jobs, while also taking verbal commands if priorities change.
In theory, this all sounds great. In practice, it's still got a long way to go. Like many of its humanoid robotic brothers, Figure is slow, walking with the gait of a person recently suffering an accident in their trousers (or circuitry in this case?).
While it looks like something out of iRobot, its presence is somewhat less intimidating. But who knows, maybe one day we’ll see an army of Figure bots zipping around the workplace.
ARTEMIS: The Messi of the robot world
ARTEMIS, the football-playing robot, has high expectations from its founders. So high in fact that they gave it the name “a robot that exceeds Messi in soccer” – or ARTEMIS for short.
Built by a team from UCLA, the football extraordinaire has been in the works for years now. ARTEMIS currently competes in the RoboCup, an international autonomous robot soccer competition. But his creators want him, along with a range of other robots, to be playing the World Cup-winning team by 2050.
With such high expectations, ARTEMIS must be a pretty incredible football player, right? Not quite. ARTEMIS was displayed at GITEX 2023, a large tech convention, where we saw it struggle to kick a ball directly in front of it, often kicking the air or only just clipping the ball. Expect rumours of a Chelsea signing imminently.
Neo Beta: An expensive new friend
Neo Beta is as impressive as it is creepy. Made by the company 1X, they describe it as “a significant advancement in robotics.”
The company believes that Neo can be the first robot in your home, doing chores and helping out with day-to-day tasks. So far, they’ve shown it making coffee, folding laundry, hugging people and picking up your backpack on your way out of the house.
Remarkable on paper, yes. But less so in reality when it seems poised to break down under any task, quivering at the mere effort of a hug.
Neo is likely going to be one of the biggest advancements in home robotics over the next years, and easily one of the creepiest. So get used to that blank face staring at you, you’ll probably be seeing more of it.
Slothbot: The intentionally slow robot
We’re sure the Sloth Bot was made to be cute, hiding an array of robotics in a friendly frame. However, between the dead eyes and the never-ending smile, this tightrope-clinging robot is oddly unsettling.
And yet, the Sloth Bot can’t do all that much. It is solar-powered and requires a cable to get about.
So, what’s the point? Other than being apparently adorable? This robot is designed to be present in natural ecosystems, mainly under tree canopies for long periods of time. This is to assess microclimate data day-to-day without the interruption of humans.
VERO: The beach-cleaning robot
VERO has a singular purpose. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary. VERO spends its time picking up cigarettes from the beach. Standing for Vacuum-cleaner Equipped Robot, VERO is designed entirely around this job.
Attached to each of its four legs are small hoovers, which, in conjunction with an array of cameras and sensors, track down debris on the beach and suck it up.
A lot of the robots on this list look to replace or match humans in as many abilities as possible, VERO is a simple guy and we love that about him.
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